Club World Cup | A game to look away from for FC Bayern

At first, it looked like a completely normal challenge. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma jumped on the ball just before halftime, trying to get to it before Jamal Musiala could, denying a potential chance for Bayern's dribbling prodigy. However, when the TV replay showed Musiala's falling foot at a right angle to his shin, it became clear: FC Bayern is paying a high price for participating in the newly introduced Club World Cup .

"Oh my God, no! Please don't!" said Alphonso Davies when he saw the images. The currently injured defender was watching his Bayern Munich team's quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain from home and was seen on the live stream. Not only Davies' reaction in front of the screen, but also the shaken players on the field quickly showed the severity of the German international's injury. Paris keeper Donnarumma himself couldn't even look. He crouched at the other end of the six-yard box and buried his face in his large goalkeeping gloves. Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman threw his hands up in the air, Michael Olise's face disappeared under his shirt, and Joshua Kimmich covered his with both hands.

Bayern's 2-0 defeat to the reigning Champions League winners quickly became a minor matter. "As I sit here next to you, it's not the result that gets my blood pumping. I understand that's football. But it's the fact that it happened to someone who enjoys the game so much," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany at the press conference after the match, which was highly exciting, at least for the first 45 minutes.

A balanced game

The opening period was a back-and-forth affair, with chances on both sides, but the clearer ones for Paris. Midfielder Fabián, unchallenged, missed the target from 13 meters out (22'). Manuel Neuer thwarted Paris's best chance, through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian, with a powerful dribble from the left, found himself unmarked to shoot from a tight angle (32'). Bayern generally lacked precision in the final third of the attack at this stage.

The shock for Bayern came after their strongest period in the first half. First, striker Harry Kane's header missed the target in the 38th minute, then a cross from Aleksandar Pavlović flew past friend and foe to the far post, where Donnarumma just managed to clear it off the line. In the 45th minute, the Italian was called into action again, parrying a shot from Musiala near the byline. Shortly thereafter, the two engaged in a fateful duel.

Paris stronger in the second half

"At halftime, you have these moments when you struggle to stay focused. We're not robots," said Thomas Müller after the match regarding Musiala's injury before the break. After the 22-year-old was treated on the field for several minutes and eventually carried off, referee Anthony Taylor ended the half without restarting the game.

The game calmed down considerably in the second half – until Paris took the lead through Désiré Doué. The 20-year-old Frenchman, whom Bayern would have loved to sign a year ago, fired unchallenged from the near corner of the penalty area in the 78th minute to make it 1-0. Bayern coach Kompany tried in vain to make a statement by bringing on Thomas Müller. The Munich club legend, who played his last 15 minutes in Bayern's jersey, was unable to prevent elimination from the Club World Cup . Bayern were also not helped by the fact that they had a man advantage towards the end. Two PSG players were sent off shortly before the end. Instead, Paris made it 2-0 through substitute Ousmane Dembélé, after PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi had dribbled past three players and only had to cross to the Frenchman.

After the game, Bayern officials weren't particularly concerned with the defeat. Instead, they were concerned about the health of their player, Musiala. Sporting director Max Eberl said: "It's tragic. We love him for his joy in playing, and now such a blow – it's extremely difficult for him, but we're here for him as a family." It has since been confirmed that Musiala will miss the first half of the upcoming Bundesliga season with a broken fibula.

Allegations against Donnarumma

The culprit was quickly identified: goalkeeper Donnarumma. "He showed no consideration," said Eberl. He didn't want to "accuse anyone," "but he's taking the risk." Manuel Neuer agreed: "He's accepting his opponent's injury."

None of the players mentioned that Musiala's injury could possibly be the result of the increasingly packed schedule, which, after a long season, was now followed by the Club World Cup . Although for many Bayern fans, the competition had more of the feel of a preparatory tournament. However, participation was handsomely rewarded. The German champions reportedly received almost 60 million euros for reaching the quarterfinals – and paid for it with the health of a player. Was it worth it?

Bayern's squad planners are now in trouble, to say the least. Only four experienced players are available for the four attacking positions. Following the departures of Leroy Sané and Thomas Müller, whose departure on Saturday became a background story, the need for reinforcements has increased even further. The competition will be aware of this and will demand high prices for Bayern's desired players.

More and more games

Since the European Championship took place last summer, the world's best players have now been playing for two years without any major interruptions. This is one of the reasons why Jürgen Klopp recently called the Club World Cup "the worst idea ever implemented in football" and announced injuries to the players "they have never had before". To prevent this from happening, the Bayern players now have just three weeks off before preparations for the new season begin. This will also be a long one, as the World Cup in the USA is coming up next year. The adversities of the intense heat and the dry artificial turf will be there again. And there will be even more matches at the World Cup, now that the number of participating countries has been increased from 32 to 48.