Pachuca edge Al Ahly on penalties to book showdown with Real Madrid

Doha, Qatar: Mexico s Pachuca continued their fairytale run in Qatar yesterday, edging Egyptian giants Al Ahly 6 5 in a thrilling penalty shootout to...

Doha, Qatar: Mexico’s Pachuca continued their fairytale run in Qatar yesterday, edging Egyptian giants Al Ahly 6-5 in a thrilling penalty shootout to claim the FIFA Challenger Cup and book their place in Wednesday’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Real Madrid.

After a tense 120 minutes of action, during which both teams failed to break the deadlock, Pachuca held their nerves in the shootout even after initially falling two goals behind at the Stadium 974.

Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed ElShennawy saved Salomon Rondon’s opening penalty and Borja Baston also missed the target. Meanwhile, Mohammed Afsha and Rami Rabia converted for Al Ahly, giving them a comfortable 2-0 lead.

But Guillermo Almada’s Pachuca made a remarkable comeback, with Gustavo Cabral, Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa, Elias Montiel, Luis Rodriguez and Faber Gil all successfully converting their spot-kicks. Al Ahly’s M Kharaba and Omar Kamal missed their attempts and when Khaled Abdelfattah hit the bar, celebration erupted among Pachuca’s players and fans.

Pachuca, who had previously defeated Brazil’s Botafogo 3-0 in the Derby of the Americas on Wednesday, will now face Real Madrid at the iconic Lusail Stadium, where the festive atmosphere will be heightened by the Qatar National Day celebrations.