By Martin Graham
Paris Saint-Germain booked their spot in the Club World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Atlanta. The breakthrough came in the 78th minute when Desire Doue, hero of PSG’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan, drilled a low left-footed strike into the far corner.
Ousmane Dembele sealed the result in stoppage time, finding the net despite the French side being reduced to nine men. The Ligue 1 champions now prepare to meet either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in the next round.
Musiala suffers concerning ankle injury
The match took a grim turn late in the first half when Bayern’s Jamal Musiala, starting for the first time in the tournament after recovering from a previous issue, went down after a collision with Gianluigi Donnarumma. The PSG goalkeeper had raced to reach a loose pass from Michael Olise near the byline when the two collided.
Musiala clutched his left ankle in visible pain, while Donnarumma turned away, clearly shaken. Bayern medical staff rushed onto the field as the game was briefly halted. Earlier in the half, Dayot Upamecano had seen his headed goal ruled out for offside.
Two dismissals and controversial VAR call
Despite taking the lead, PSG finished the match with nine players. Defender Willian Pacho was sent off just minutes after the opening goal for a reckless challenge on Leon Goretzka. Lucas Hernandez followed in injury time, dismissed for a foul on Raphael Guerreiro.
Bayern had moments of promise, with Manuel Neuer pulling off an excellent save to deny Bradley Barcola and Harry Kane seeing a goal chalked off for offside. The Bundesliga side were nearly awarded a late penalty when Nuno Mendes was penalised for a challenge on Thomas Muller. However, referee Anthony Taylor reversed the decision after consulting VAR.
The game also marked the final appearance for Muller in a Bayern shirt, as the 35-year-old forward came off the bench for the final minutes of his 17-year spell with the German giants.
