Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Bayern Munich 2–0 in a pulsating clash on Saturday in Atlanta.
Goals from Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé secured victory for the nine-man European champions, who overcame late red cards to Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.
The match, played at the air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of nearly 67,000 fans, was preceded by a minute’s silence in honour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who recently died in a car crash. The tribute held particular meaning for PSG, with five Portuguese players in their squad.
A Fierce Contest
Both sides displayed their attacking credentials in the first half. PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Bayern’s Manuel Neuer made crucial saves to keep the score level. Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and France’s Bradley Barcola were electric down the wings, constantly threatening the Bayern defence.
Bayern had a goal disallowed late in the first half when Dayot Upamecano headed in from Michael Olise’s free-kick, but he was flagged offside.
Just before the interval, Bayern’s Jamal Musiala suffered a serious ankle injury following a collision with Donnarumma and had to be stretchered off — a blow to the German side.
Breakthrough and Late Drama
In the second half, Neuer denied Barcola with a stunning save, but eventually, 20-year-old Doué broke the deadlock. Harry Kane lost possession, and PSG surged forward. Doué worked space on the edge of the area and rifled a low shot past Neuer at the near post.
Dembélé, introduced late in the game, nearly scored after intercepting a stray pass from Neuer, but his effort rolled just wide. After Pacho’s red card for a dangerous tackle and a second sending-off for Hernandez following an elbow, Bayern pressed for an equaliser. Kane found the net, but it was ruled offside.
In stoppage time, Dembélé sealed the win, finishing off a break led by Achraf Hakimi. He celebrated by mimicking Diogo Jota’s signature video game pose as a tribute.
PSG will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals on Wednesday at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, continuing their quest for a maiden Club World Cup title.