⚽ Your daily update on the Club World Cup: Al Hilal and Palmeiras’ journeys come to an emotional end, whereas PSG vs. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund remind us why we love football.

Al Hilal bids the tournament farewell. Al Za’eem exited the quarter finals following a 2-1 defeat against Fluminense despite a strong performance. Although they statistically dominated the match, the Saudi players showed signs of physical fatigue, especially after four incredible periods against Manchester City in the round of 16. Al Hilal’s Portuguese players, João Cancelo and Rúben Neves, appeared to be emotionally impacted by the passing of their close friend, Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who died in a car accident early Thursday.

One Brazilian club is enough. Chelsea sent Palmeiras packing with a 2-1 victory, leaving Fluminense as the sole Brazilian — and South American — representative in the semi-finals. Europe, however, dominates with three clubs advancing.

Fluminense and Chelsea will face off in the first semi-final match on Tuesday, 8 June.

The European champion gets revenge. PSG successfully avenged their 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage late last year. The French club secured a 2-0 victory, despite ending the match with just 9 players due to the red cards received by their defenders Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández.

A last-minute thrill. As the match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund entered injury time, audiences thought the Merengues had it in the bag, seeing as they were in the lead 2-0. The tides turned in the final six minutes, which saw three goals, a red card, and a miraculous save by Thibaut Courtois that guaranteed a crucial 3-2 victory for Real Madrid.

PSG and Real Madrid will face off in the second semi-final match on Wednesday, 9 July.

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