Pachuca shock Al Ahly to face Real Madrid in FIFA Intercontinental final

Mexico’s Pachuca defeated Egyptian side Al Ahly on penalties to set up Intercontinental Cup final 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 claim the Challenger Cup and seal their place in FIFA’s Intercontinental Cup final.

Pachuca will now face Spanish giants Real Madrid, who enter the tournament in the final as European champions, in Wednesday’s showpiece in Qatar.

The South American side beat the African outfit 6-5 on penalties following a goalless semi-final, in which Al Ahly edged the possession and tested the keeper five times to Pachuca’s three.

Four spot kicks were missed by the sides, including the opening penalty by Pachuca’s Salomon Rondon, before the decisive moment saw right-back Khaled Abdel Fattah hit the bar with his effort.

Pachuca's players celebrate after defeating Al Ahly FC in a penalty shootout during the Intercontinental Cup soccer match at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed) — Pachuca’s players rush to celebrate their penalty shootout victory [Hussein Sayed/AP]

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

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

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

CF Pachuca's Salomon Rondon (23) receives the trophy from FIFA President Gianni Infantino after winning their Intercontinental Cup soccer match against Al Ahly FC at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed) — CF Pachuca’s Salomon Rondon receives the trophy from FIFA President Gianni Infantino [Hussein Sayed/AP]

Pachuca of Mexico had romped to an upset against Brazilian side Botafogo with a 3-0 win in the last round – the Derby of the Americas – thanks to second-half strikes from Pachuca’s Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Rondon.

Botafogo had only just completed the domestic double in Brazil.

The win for Pachuca continues a remarkable year that has already seen them lift the Concacaf Champions Cup after a 3-0 win in the final against MLS side Columbus Crew in early June.