Paris Saint-Germain secured their place in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich, ending a four-game losing streak against the German giants.
The match, played in Atlanta, started slowly with both sides struggling to create clear chances. It took 20 minutes before PSG carved out the first real opportunity, as Désiré Doué cut the ball back to Fabián Ruiz on the edge of the box, but the midfielder fired his shot over the crossbar.
Bayern responded with a dangerous effort of their own, as Michael Olise tested Gianluigi Donnarumma with a powerful drive, but the Italian goalkeeper was up to the task.
PSG soon regained momentum, and just after the half-hour mark, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia danced past multiple defenders and unleashed a low shot, only for Manuel Neuer to deny him with a smart save.
Bayern thought they had taken the lead just before half-time when Dayot Upamecano headed in Olise’s free-kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Moments later, Bayern suffered a setback as Jamal Musiala limped off with an injury.
Early in the second half, PSG nearly doubled their advantage. Bradley Barcola raced through one-on-one, but Neuer produced another superb stop. Shortly after, Neuer was caught off his line, and the loose ball fell to Ousmane Dembélé, who inexplicably rolled his shot just wide of an empty net.
The breakthrough finally came 11 minutes from time. Doué, who had been lively throughout, played a key role in the build-up before curling a low shot inside the near post, catching Neuer off guard.
However, PSG’s grip on the match appeared to slip five minutes later when Willian Pacho was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Leon Goretzka. Bayern capitalized almost immediately, with Harry Kane heading in what looked like an equalizer—only for VAR to rule it out for offside, saving PSG once again.
The final minutes were frantic. Lucas Hernández received a red card for elbowing Raphael Guerreiro, leaving PSG with just nine men for stoppage time. Still, they managed to strike again, with Dembélé scoring in the dying moments to seal the win.
Bayern were awarded a penalty in the final twist of this dramatic encounter, but referee Anthony Taylor reversed the decision after a VAR review. With that, PSG confirmed their spot in the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of another major trophy, having already claimed a quadruple during the regular season.
