PSG’s flair takes backseat as they dig deep to reach semis

MUCH has been made of European champions Paris Saint-Germain's attacking flair — their rapid, dangerous wingers and thrilling style — but what carried them through to the Fifa Club World Cup semifinals on Saturday was a dose of resilience.

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Luis Enrique's side beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in Atlanta, finishing the match with just nine men after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made several important saves to help the French treble winners progress to the final four, where they will face a familiar opponent in Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé.

Captain Marquinhos said his team’s mentality was vital in their pursuit of more silverware.

"It was a game that taught us lessons, a game that brought us out of our comfort zone," the Brazilian defender said. "(It showed) the mentality of our group — it’s something we talk about a lot. Winning is very hard, and to keep winning is even harder. That's our mentality today: to show we are always hungry, that we always want to go further.”

Luis Enrique explained that his team’s growing resilience is the result of the work done over the past year.

"This goes back to the season that we played — we suffered together... we displayed a true team spirit," said the Spaniard. "We may win, we may lose, we may draw, but our attitude and our actions are there.”