Pachuca shocks Al Ahly when they face Real Madrid in the final of the FIFA Intercontinental | Football News

Mexico’s Pachuca defeated Egypt’s Al Ahly on penalties in the final of the Intercontinental Cup with Spanish giants Real Madrid in Qatar.

Mexican side Pachuca beat Egypt’s Al Ahly on penalties at Stadium 974 in Doha on Saturday to win the Challenger Cup and book their place in the finals of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Pachuca will face the Spanish giants, Real Madrid, who will enter the finals as European champions, in the match on Wednesday in Qatar.

The South American team beat the African team 6-5 on penalties after beating Al Ahly in the semi-final, testing the goalkeeper five times to Pachuca’s three.

Four balls were missed by the sides, including Pachuca’s Salomon Rondon’s opening penalty, before a crucial moment saw defender Khaled Abdel Fattah hit the post with his effort.

“It was difficult, very strange, especially because of the marathon game we played today,” said Pachuca’s coach, Guillermo Almada. “We will try to get the players back on their feet and go into the (final) match with the motivation in the world.”

Wednesday’s final against Madrid will be played at the Lusail Stadium, where the World Cup final between Argentina and France was held two years ago.

A crowd of 38,841 was on hand at Stadium 974 on Saturday, which was built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with that number of shipping containers being “sustainable light” as part of Qatar’s commitment to hosting the first neutral tournament.

Mexico’s Pachuca bounced back against Brazilian side Botafogo with a 3-0 victory in the final round – the Derby of the Americas – thanks to contributions from Pachuca’s Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Rondon.

Botafogo had just completed a home double in Brazil.

Pachuca’s victory continues an impressive year that has already seen them lift the Concacaf Champions Cup after a 3-0 victory in the final against MLS side Columbus Crew in early June.