Club W’Cup: Nine-man PSG beat Bayern 2-0, advance to semi-finals

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Paris Saint-Germain clinched a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday in Atlanta to secure their place in the semi-finals of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

The French champions, who finished the game with just nine men, dug deep to overcome the Bundesliga title holders in an intense battle at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Desire Doue and substitute Ousmane Dembele were the heroes for PSG, each scoring to help the Parisians past Bayern in a contest that saw late drama, including two dismissals for Luis Enrique’s side.

The win snapped PSG’s four-game losing streak against Bayern, a run that included a 1-0 loss in the Champions League last November.

This time, however, the French side rose to the occasion with a resilient performance.

In a poignant pre-match moment, the nearly 67,000 fans in attendance joined players in observing a minute’s silence for Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, both of whom tragically passed away in a car accident on Thursday.

The moment was especially moving for PSG’s contingent of Portuguese players, including starters Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Nuno Mendes.

Bayern, coached by Vincent Kompany, entered the tie with confidence, and Kompany had described the fixture as a “perfect storm” due to the attacking, high-pressing styles both teams favour.

The match lived up to its billing, with end-to-end action under the stadium’s climate-controlled dome.

PSG started brightly with Doue firing narrowly off target, while Gianluigi Donnarumma thwarted Michael Olise at the other end.

Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia twice came close for the Parisians, while Donnarumma and counterpart Manuel Neuer were kept busy throughout the opening stages.

In first-half stoppage time, Bayern thought they had taken the lead when Dayot Upamecano headed home Olise’s free-kick, but the goal was chalked off for offside.

Moments later, England captain Harry Kane missed narrowly with a header following excellent wing play from Kingsley Coman.

However, the game took a grim turn for Bayern just before the break. Jamal Musiala suffered a horrifying ankle injury following a collision with Donnarumma, leaving the German international in clear agony and casting a shadow over the match.

The PSG keeper appeared visibly shaken by the incident.

After the interval, Neuer produced a stunning save to deny Bradley Barcola, while Dembele, brought on with 20 minutes left, nearly scored after a rare error by Neuer outside his area.

Eventually, the deadlock was broken when Kane lost possession, triggering a swift PSG counter. Doue created space on the edge of the area before driving a low shot inside Neuer’s near post to put PSG ahead.

PSG’s lead came under threat in the closing stages. Willian Pacho was shown a straight red for a high challenge on Leon Goretzka in the 83rd minute. Bayern pressed, and though Kane had the ball in the net, he was flagged offside.

The French side’s troubles deepened when Lucas Hernandez was also dismissed after an elbowing incident, reducing PSG to nine men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Dembele sealed the win in stoppage time after a surging run by Achraf Hakimi. The winger slotted home and paid tribute to Diogo Jota by mimicking his signature video-gaming celebration.

With the win, PSG now await the winner of Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund for a semi-final clash set for Wednesday at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

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