The PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma did not at first realise the extent of the injury and then, having checked on Musiala, dropped to his knees as he saw the damage. Replays showed that Musiala’s left foot appeared to be pointing in an unnatural direction as he fell backwards onto the turf having collided with the giant Italian.
Harry Kane put his head in his hands having comforted Musiala as the player received emergency treatment on the pitch. Earlier, PSG captain Marquinhos had rushed over to the stricken player and waved on the medical team while defender Willian Pacho placed his hand on the shoulder of Musiala. As he was being carried off the pitch, Musiala pulled his shirt over his face.
He had chased a ball into the corner of the PSG area with Pacho screening its passage back to Donnarumma. With Musiala in pursuit, the goalkeeper dived across his path to take the ball in his gloves and Musiala tumbled over Donnarumma. It appeared that the No 10’s left foot might have got stuck under Donnarumma which could have transferred all his weight and momentum onto the joint.
Paris St Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma reacts after Jamal Musiala sustains an injury
Paris St Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma reacts after Jamal Musiala sustains an injury
As a series of team-mates went over to check on Musiala, each reacted with dismay. Joshua Kimmich put his head in his hands. Michael Olise pulled his shirt over his face. PSG’s Donnarumma appeared to leave the pitch at half-time in tears. The game was refereed by Premier League official Anthony Taylor.
PSG won a dramatic tie 2-0, despite finishing the game with nine men. Desire Doue gave them the lead with 10 minutes remaining after Kane gave up possession. PSG defender Pacho was dismissed by Taylor for a wild lunge at substitute Leon Goretzka. Kane later had a headed equaliser correctly ruled offside by the English officials.
Taylor issued a second red card in time added on to PSG’s Lucas Hernandez for an elbow on Raphael Guerreiro. Ousmane Dembele scored a second in added time. Bayern were then awarded a penalty by Taylor for Nuno Mendes’s high foot, a decision later reversed on VAR review.
Musiala, 22, who spent some time as a teenager at Chelsea’s academy, is the star of the Bayern and Germany teams and would be a key figure for his country at next summer’s World Cup finals. There is no suggestion the injury was anything other than an accident, nevertheless Fifa has been warned by players’ unions of the dangers of pushing the leading stars into a summer of intense tournament football.
The quality of the pitches has also been called into question, with many of them new surfaces laid in stadiums which ordinarily use synthetic turf. Before Chelsea’s quarter-final victory, captain Reece James, who was forced to withdraw from the tie against Palmeiras in the warm-up, said that the long flights, poor pitches and hot weather were a concern.
“It’s difficult pitches, a difficult climate,” he said. “The ball goes 100 feet in the air and it bounces one metre up. It’s not what we’re used to. I feel you get a lot leggier quicker, playing on pitches that are not so good. It’s not just for us, it’s for everyone involved in the competition.”