Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Al Nassr to book their spot in the semifinals of the Club World Cup. They did just that following an exhilarating 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The semifinal was marked by extreme tension and high stakes as both teams fought tooth and nail. PSG’s determination and clever tactics saw them crowned the winners.
The first half showcased PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Bayern’s Manuel Neuer as they both made crucial saves. Neuer, especially, was at his brilliant best, saving a host of point-blank attempts from PSG. In the 27th minute, he dove to his right. He then smartly deflected a goal-bound attempt from Michael Olise, preventing the opening goal within the first ten minutes. Four minutes later, he denied Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s drive from just inside the box, a shot that looked destined for the corner, to remind everyone of his superhuman reflexes.
Bayern Munich stretched PSG, but every effort was forced into the waiting arms of a solid back line. In fact, in the first half, Bayern was awarded a kick from the spot. After initiating a review with the help of video, that decision changed. The plucky German club had two goals disallowed for offside. One of those was a late leaping header by Harry Kane that would have changed the entire complexion of this match.
Donnarumma faced his own challenges as well. On first-half stoppage time, he made one especially impressive play, sprinting off his line to snatch a loose ball from an attacking player on the byline. In the process, he ran into Thomas Muller. He took the first ball, tucked it away and started to leave, when he realized how badly Muller was hurt. Besotted with worry, he dropped to his knees in despair.
The second half began with heightened intensity. Only four minutes in, Neuer once more thwarted Bradley Barcola on the break, diving his left to prevent the opening goal. The proverbial wheels fell off for Bayern in the 82nd minute. Referee Anthony Taylor sent Pacho off for a high challenge on Aaron Muller. The red card had left Bayern with just nine players on the field.
Despite the setbacks, Bayern continued to fight. PSG’s Ousmane Dembele had scored the winning goal in the 99th minute. This insurance goal was enough to clinch the win for PSG.
Hakimi expressed his relief after the victory, stating, “That second goal was really important, especially in a huge competition like this.” He added, “We are really happy and proud of the team effort. We had a tough team against us. I think we did what we had to do to take the victory.”
Marquinhos voiced that same frustration as Hakimi in assessing how the match went for the team. “It is always difficult to play with two fewer players but today, the team showed the attitude and desire to get the job done,” he said.
