PSG overcome tough Bayern test
Jamal Musiala suffers broken fibula
An action packed, controversial, sometimes sad, sometimes joyful, always enthralling game was played yesterday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé fired nine-man Paris Saint-Germain into the Club World Cup semi-finals overcoming fellow European royalty Bayern Munich.
The game was marred by an awful injury to Bayern’s attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala. Challenging PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma for the ball in the box, the two players collided with the 22-year-old Musiala awkwardly falling over the giant Italian’s torso. It happened right in front of me and you could tell immediately that it was bad. This was compounded by the sign of PSG’s defender’s frantically calling for the referee to halt the game. You always know an injury is bad when opposition players are worried. Musiala was flown back to Munich and will undergo surgery in the Bavarian capital soon. He is expected to be out for up to five months.
It wasn’t the only sad moment of the afternoon. Before the game there was a minute’s silence for Diogo Jota and André Silva who were killed earlier in the week in a tragic car crash in Northwest Spain.
The match itself was a frantic, high-tempo affair. Both sides shared 24 shots and 10 on target, with PSG edging Bayern in XG (1.98 to 0.66). Both goalkeepers were superb, even if Bayern’s Manuel Neuer was a typically erratic at times. At one point Neuer was inches away from being embarrassed by the PSG press outside his box as Kvaratskhelia and substitute Dembele swarmed over him, with the latter’s resulting shot going inches wide of the goal. His teammate Michael Olise exhibited skill and trickery that one feels lucky so witness. Joshua Kimmich marshalled the dangerous Vitinha very well. Dayot Upamecano also looked mostly solid at the back.
On the other side, PSG’s defense, led by Brazilian international Marquinhos never looked too rattled. Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was unstoppable at times, especially in the first half, supplying nightmares to Konrad Laimer.
Even as the game sat at 0-0 at half-time, the near 67,000 spectators in attendance were happy with the gloriously joyful exhibition of soccer they were witnessing.
The breakthrough finally came in the 78th minute. A nulled Harry Kane was robbed of possession in midfield before Joao Neves found Doué, who drove a low left-foot shot home from the edge of the box as Neuer momentarily slipped on his line.
Bayern soon thought they’d then levelled proceedings but Kane had strayed offside before heading home, while a very late penalty awarded was rescinded after referee Anthony Taylor reviewed his initial decision after viewing the VAR screen.
PSG lost both Willian Pacho and substitute Lucas Hernandez to straight reds, yet despite their two-man disadvantage hit the bar through Dembélé as Bayern scrambled for a leveler. The Ballon d’Or candidate then secured PSG's last-four spot deep into stoppage time, finishing superbly after some outstanding work on the right by Achraf Hakimi.
Thomas Müller came on late to make the final of his 756 appearances. The legendary 35-year-old closes his account with his boyhood club having won 13 Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, eight German Supercups, two UEFA Champions Leagues, two European Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups. 33 major titles, an unbelievable feat.
PSG will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Wednesday, 9 July.
Box Score
Paris Saint-Germain - Bayern Munich
2025 FIFA Club World Cup Quarter Finals
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 66,937
Final Score: PSG 2-0 Bayern
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Scoring summary:
78' - D. Doué (PSG)
90+6' - O. Dembélé (PSG)
Discipline:
68' - K. Laimer (BAY) - yellow
76' - D. Doué (PSG) - yellow
76' - M. Rechner (BAY) - yellow
82' - W. Pacho (PSG) - red, foul
90+2' - L. Hernandez (PSG) - red, foul
Man of the Match: First Last (PSG/BAY) - Reason
Line-ups:
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos (C), Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz (79’ Lucas Hernandez); Bradley Barcola (70’ Ousmane Dembélé), Désiré Doué (79’ Warren Zaïre-Emery), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (84’ Lucas Beraldo)
Subs not used: Matvei Safanov, Arnau Tenas, Noham Kamara, Lee Kang-in, Senny Mayulu, Gonçalo Ramos, Ibrahim Mbaye
Head Coach: Luis Enrique
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (C); Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Josip Stanišić (34’ Sacha Boey, 87’ Raphaël Guerreiro); Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović (80’ Leon Goretzka); Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala (45’ Serge Gnabry), Kingsley Coman (80’ Thomas Müller); Harry Kane
Subs not used: Daniel Peretz, Jonas Urbig, Kim Min-jae, Cassiano Kiala, Adam Aznou, João Palhinha, Tom Bishof, Lennart Karl, David Santos, Jonah Kusi-Asare
Head Coach: Vincent Kompany