Pachuca shocks Al-Ahly to face Real Madrid in the Confederations Final | Football news

Mexico’s Pachuca beat Egypt’s Al-Ahly on penalties to qualify for the Intercontinental Cup final with Spanish giant Real Madrid in Qatar.

Mexican side Pachuca beat Egypt’s Al-Ahly on penalties at Stadium 974 in Doha on Saturday to win the Challenge Cup and secure their place in the tournament. FIFA Intercontinental Cup last.

Pachuca will now face Spanish giants Real Madrid, who enter the tournament Championship in the final As European champions, in the final next Wednesday in Qatar.

The South American team beat the African team 6-5 on penalties after a scoreless semi-final match, as Al-Ahly had possession of the ball and tested the goalkeeper five times compared to three for Pachuca.

Both teams missed four penalty kicks, including the opening penalty kick by Pachuca’s Salomon Rondon, before right-back Khaled Abdel Fattah’s shot hit the crossbar in the decisive moment.

Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada said: “It was very difficult and complicated, especially because of the marathon match we played today.” He added: “We will try to get the players back on their feet and play the match (the final) with all the motivation in the world.”

The final match will be held on Wednesday against Real Madrid at Lusail Stadium, which hosted the tournament World Cup final between Argentina and France 2 years ago.

A crowd of 38,841 were in attendance at the 974-strong stadium on Saturday, which was built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with that number of shipping containers to serve as a “beacon of sustainability” as part of Qatar’s pledge to deliver the first carbon-neutral tournament.

The Mexican team, Pachuca, achieved a surprise against the Brazilian team, Botafogo With a 3-0 victory in the last round – Derby of the Americas – thanks to second-half goals scored by Pachuca players Osama Idrissi, Nelson Diosa and Rondon.

Botafogo had just completed the domestic double in Brazil.

Pachuca’s win continues an impressive year that has already seen them win the CONCACAF Champions Cup with a 3-0 final win over the Columbus Crew in MLS in early June.