Paris Saint-Germain reached the Club World Cup semi-finals as Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele goals earned the nine-man European champions a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in a gripping battle on Saturday.
The French treble winners had Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez sent off in the final stages but managed to oust the German giants in Atlanta.
Bundesliga champions Bayern, who lost Jamal Musiala just before half-time with a horror ankle injury, shared an intense and even battle with the Parisians.
Bayern had won their last four matches straight against PSG, including a 1-0 Champions League victory last November, before Luis Enrique’s side hit their peak.
Players and nearly 67,000 spectators observed a minute of silence in honour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash on Thursday.
It was an emotional moment, especially for a PSG side with five Portuguese players in the squad, including starters Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nuno Mendes.
Luis Enrique began with leading Ballon d’Or candidate Dembele on the bench, as he continues his comeback from a quadriceps injury, but Bayern playmaker Musiala was fit to start after a calf issue.
It was FIFA’s expanded tournament’s biggest heavyweight clash thus far and Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said on the eve of the game he would pay to watch a match he described as a “perfect storm”, because of the teams’ similar high-pressing, attacking styles.
The air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium also produced the perfect conditions for a pulsating game, lit up by supremely talented dribblers on both sides, as well as two elite goalkeepers in Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manuel Neuer.
Both sides exchanged early blows as Desire Doue fired narrowly wide and Donnarumma saved Michael Olise’s low effort.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the side netting after a razor-sharp PSG counter before Donnarumma produced a fine save at full stretch to tip away another Olise effort.
Georgia international Kvaratskhelia forced Neuer into an excellent stop from close range after the effervescent Bradley Barcola floated a ball out to him on the left and the winger surged inside at pace.
Donnarumma was called into action as Aleksandar Pavlovic’s low cross for Musiala eluded the German and nearly found the bottom corner, but for a swift reaction from the Italian.
The goalkeeper could do nothing about Dayot Upamecano’s header from Olise’s free-kick in first-half stoppage time but the French defender had strayed offside and it was disallowed.
England captain Harry Kane also came close for Bayern with a header that flew narrowly off target after fine work by Kingsley Coman.
Earlier, a late own-goal by goalkeeper Weverton took Chelsea through to the Club World Cup semi-finals on Friday as the Premier League side edged Palmeiras of Brazil 2-1 in a last-eight tie that had been lit up by a moment of magic from young star Estevao Willian.
The teenage Brazil forward, who will join Chelsea after the tournament, was eager to impress his future employers and his brilliant 53rd-minute finish cancelled out Cole Palmer’s opener in Philadelphia.
But a deflected Malo Gusto cross went in off Palmeiras ‘keeper Weverton in the 83rd minute to take Chelsea through to a semi-final showdown with another Brazilian side in Fluminense.
The scoreline was a repeat of Chelsea’s victory when the teams met in the final of the Club World Cup under the tournament’s old guise in 2022.
Chelsea will now be fancied to go on and reach the final, with Fluminense standing in their way in the last four at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday.
If not everyone has yet been won over by the tournament, the intensity levels on the pitch are rising as it reaches the business end and there was a big-game atmosphere in Philadelphia.
Lincoln Financial Field was almost sold out, with 65,782 fans in attendance despite much of the city having emptied out for the July 4 holiday and long weekend.
This game played out to a backdrop of Independence Day fireworks lighting up the sky over the nearby Delaware River, but there were fireworks on the pitch too.
Chelsea lit the spark first, going ahead in the 16th minute thanks to a moment of class from England international Palmer.
After drifting into a pocket of space just outside the Palmeiras box, Palmer controlled a Trevoh Chalobah pass on the half-turn, carried on into the area and dispatched a low shot past Weverton.
Agencies
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