Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the semi-finals of the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in Atlanta — a match filled with drama, controversy, and a potentially serious injury to Jamal Musiala.
Goals from Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembélé sealed the win for the French champions, despite playing the closing stages with nine men after Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez were both sent off.
Musiala Injury Overshadows First Half
The first half ended goalless but was marred by a worrying injury to Bayern’s Jamal Musiala, who was caught on the ankle by Gianluigi Donnarumma while chasing down a loose pass from teammate Michael Olise near the byline. The 22-year-old German, making his first start of the tournament, limped off in clear pain, casting a shadow over what had been an absorbing opening 45 minutes.
Musiala had been in red-hot form, with 21 goals in 43 appearances this season, including a hat-trick in Bayern’s 10-0 demolition of Auckland City in the first round.
Doue Delivers, Bayern Denied
After Dayot Upamecano had a goal disallowed for offside and Manuel Neuer made several top-class saves, it was PSG’s 20-year-old star Desire Doue who broke the deadlock in the 78th minute. The winger cut inside from the right and curled a low left-footed shot beyond Neuer into the bottom corner — his third goal of the tournament, having scored twice in the Champions League final win over Inter Milan.
Things escalated quickly for PSG. Just four minutes after the goal, Willian Pacho was shown a straight red card for a high lunge on Leon Goretzka, before Lucas Hernandez was dismissed in stoppage time after catching Raphael Guerreiro.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, PSG sealed the win when Dembélé, who had earlier struck the crossbar, slotted home a cool finish in added time.
Controversy and Farewell for Müller
There was more drama late on when Harry Kane had a headed goal ruled out for offside, and Bayern were initially awarded a penalty for a high challenge by Nuno Mendes on Thomas Müller. However, referee Anthony Taylor overturned the decision after consulting the pitchside monitor.
The match marked the final Bayern appearance for Thomas Müller, who replaced Kingsley Coman in the 80th minute. The 35-year-old departs after a 17-year spell at the club, where he won every major honour available.
Standout Performers
Goalkeepers took centre stage throughout. Donnarumma produced key saves from Michael Olise and Aleksandar Pavlovic, while Neuer was equally heroic — denying Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and making a stunning one-on-one stop to thwart Bradley Barcola.
Still, it was Doue who ultimately swung the game with a moment of brilliance and Dembélé who confirmed the result in dramatic fashion.
Key Stats
PSG scored against Bayern for the first time since Kylian Mbappé’s strike in April 2021. The French champions have now won nine of their last 10 matches, keeping six clean sheets in their last seven games. The win ended Bayern’s four-match winning run against PSG.
What’s Next?
PSG will face Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final on Wednesday, 9 July, at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey (20:00 BST). Bayern Munich in the other hand will begin their 2024/25 domestic campaign in the German Supercup against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, 16 August 2025.