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

Mexico’s Pachuca beat Egypt’s Al Ahly 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.

“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.”