It was billed as the game of the Club World Cup and it did not disappoint.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich produced a breathless game that had just about everything in Atlanta, and not all of it good.
There was a serious injury to Bayern’s Jamal Musiala, two second-half red cards for PSG’s Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez and late drama with an overturned penalty decision in the French club’s favour.
Musiala’s injury was the most serious incident, the German international breaking a bone in his left leg in a collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. It left both sets of players shocked and cast a cloud over this occasion.
Ultimately, it was PSG who progressed into the last four and a meeting with either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund, who face each other later on Saturday, after goals from Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele. And all that despite the dismissals of Pacho and Hernandez.
Here, we analyse the main talking points of a remarkable match.
Do PSG look like champions after the game of the tournament?
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany had promised fans in Atlanta a “thunderstorm” of a game, bringing together two of the most talented teams, both blessed with a rare combination of controlled, rhythmic possession play in midfield and individualism in attack.
He wasn’t wrong. It was goalless until the 78th minute, but in terms of quality and attacking intent this would be most purists’ choice for the best game of the tournament.
It didn’t have quite the thrills and spills of Al Hilal’s shock 4-3 victory over Manchester City, but there was so much quality on display — and it was hardly short of drama, given the two Bayern disallowed goals, the two PSG red cards, the attacking flair in both forward lines and so many openings that it felt almost implausible that it remained goalless for so long.
Those two late PSG goals proved decisive, though, taking Luis Enrique’s European champions through to the semi-finals at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Wednesday.
The biggest doubt about PSG’s prospects will concern the suspensions of Pacho and Hernandez after they were sent off in the second half.
Kompany ventured beforehand that most people would think the winners were most likely to come from half of the draw — the one that contained Bayern, PSG, Madrid and Dortmund.
The “thunderstorm” that ensued in Atlanta reinforced that view.
Oliver Kay
How did Musiala get so badly hurt?
The sight of Musiala lying stricken on the pitch as the half-time whistle blew, with players on both sides looking distressed, will not be easily forgotten.
The Bayern forward suffered a horrible-looking injury in the final seconds of the first half, his lower left leg crunched under the sprawling frame of PSG goalkeeper Donnarumma as the pair of them, plus PSG’s Pacho, competed for a loose ball in the penalty area.
Some of Bayern’s fans inside the ground initially appealed for a penalty, but it quickly became clear there were bigger concerns. The reaction of Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, Donnarumma and others reflected concern among both sets of players that this was a serious injury.
So did the horrified response of Musiala’s team-mate Alphonso Davies, who was live-streaming the game on social media while recovering from a serious injury of his own. Davies, wide-eyed in horror, tore off his headphones and held his head in his hands.
In the UK, television broadcasters DAZN opted not to show replays of the incident at half-time.
There was no immediate word from Bayern on the nature or the gravity of the injury beyond a message on their X feed, telling Musiala, “We are with you.”
On Sunday they confirmed he had fractured his left fibula and was set to miss at least four months after returning to Munich for surgery.
Musiala had only just returned to action after missing the final weeks of Bayern’s Bundesliga campaign with a hamstring injury, and this latest blow will cast a shadow over a season which culminates, a little over 12 months from now, with the World Cup finals here in the United States.
Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany confirmed after the game that Musiala had been taken to hospital for treatment.
“He’s a player who loves football, that’s his life,” he told DAZN. “For him it will hit hard but he’s going to get through it, he’s going to get stronger and hopefully next season he will lift trophies with Bayern.”
Oliver Kay
Doue’s reputation just keeps on growing
Doue is only 20 years old but he plays like an experienced footballer who tends to grow into each match that he plays.
The French international attacker’s goal on Saturday was just a glimpse of the type of player he is. Creative, quick and pacy, Doue displayed his best qualities against the German champions.
His shot with his weaker left foot from outside the Bayern penalty area looked harmless at first, but it was well placed and froze Manuel Neuer in his place.
Dembele added a second in second half stoppage time when PSG were down to nine men. Doue isn’t a Ballon d’Or candidate like Dembele, but he’s a future superstar without any doubt.
Felipe Cardenas
Who won the battle of the great goalkeepers?
Who is the best goalkeeper in the world?
It’s subjective but the list has included Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Donnarumma and Neuer. And in Atlanta, the latter two showed the world how good they continue to be.
Donnarumma plays like a wily veteran: it’s hard to believe that he’s still four years from turning 30. One reflex save in the first half had the near sell-out crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on their feet. The Italy international is a towering figure but his quickness is underrated.
Despite being clearly upset by his inadvertent role in Musiala’s serious injury, Donnarumma was a steady performer for PSG on an afternoon when the Champions League winners weren’t as sharp as they’ve been throughout the tournament.
Then there was Neuer, who for several years was the planet’s best goalkeeper. At 39, and having recovered from a debilitating calf injury in March, he has turned back the clock at this Club World Cup.
His positioning and command of his penalty area has been stellar and he also produced two exceptional saves, once in the first half from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and again in the second from Bradley Barcola.
He’s also still quite cunning and far from risk-averse, although that was almost his downfall in the second half when he came inches away from conceding a horrendous goal after losing possession outside his box. Dembele’s awkward shot pinged off the post, saving Neuer from embarrassment.
The German was finally undone when he slipped as he prepared to react to Doue’s 78th-minute shot, leaving him wrong-footed and helpless.
Felipe Cardenas
Remaining matchups and schedule
Saturday, July 5
Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid, 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. UK (East Rutherford, N.J.)
Tuesday, July 8
Fluminense vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. UK (East Rutherford, N.J.)
Wednesday, July 9
PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid, 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. UK (East Rutherford, N.J.)
Sunday, July 13
TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. UK (East Rutherford, N.J.)
(Top photo: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)
