Paris Saint-Germain, PSG, secured a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich to book their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup, ending a four-game losing streak against the German side.
The victory came after a tense, physical encounter in Atlanta that saw the French champions finish with just nine men.
The match began slowly, with both teams struggling to find rhythm. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that a genuine chance was created when Désiré Doué laid the ball back to Fabián Ruiz, who fired over the crossbar. Bayern responded shortly after with Michael Olise testing Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the Italian goalkeeper was equal to the task.
PSG then began to grow into the game. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia dribbled past several defenders and unleashed a low shot, only for Manuel Neuer to deny him with a save using his legs. Just before halftime, Bayern thought they had taken the lead through Dayot Upamecano’s header from an Olise free-kick, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Bayern’s momentum suffered a blow after Jamal Musiala sustained a serious injury just before the break, casting doubt on his availability for the remainder of the tournament. Early in the second half, Bradley Barcola nearly gave PSG the lead when he broke free on goal, but Neuer once again made a crucial save.
Moments later, Neuer was caught off his line, and Ousmane Dembélé had a golden opportunity to score into an open net but dragged his shot just wide. PSG finally broke through in the 79th minute when Doué, who had been influential all game, received the ball on the edge of the area and placed a low strike past Neuer’s near post.
However, PSG’s lead came under threat shortly after. Willian Pacho was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Leon Goretzka, reducing PSG to ten men. Bayern believed they had equalised through Harry Kane’s header, but once again, the assistant referee’s flag ruled it out for offside.
The final minutes were chaotic. PSG went down to nine men after Lucas Hernández was sent off for an elbow on Raphaël Guerreiro. Despite their numerical disadvantage, PSG extended their lead when Dembélé scored in stoppage time. Bayern were handed a lifeline with a penalty deep into injury time, but referee Anthony Taylor reversed his decision after consulting the pitchside monitor.
Paris Saint-Germain booked their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals by beating fellow European heavyweights Bayern Munich 2-0, ending a four-match losing H2H run in the process.
