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Mexican team Pachuca won the FIFA Challenger Cup match on penalties in Qatar on Saturday, defeating Egyptian team Al Ahly 6-5 after a goalless draw after extra time, and will face Real Madrid in next week’s Intercontinental Cup final.
Pachuca won the shootout after missing the first two penalty kicks and became the second CONCACAF team to reach the final of the competition against European champions Madrid on Wednesday at Lusail Stadium.
Neither team managed to find the net for 120 minutes and Pachuca struggled to create a real attacking threat after a thrilling first half in which the Egyptians dominated possession.
Pachuca’s Carlos Moreno made some great saves to deny the Africans the lead, and despite adjustments and substitutions from both coaches, the match ended in overtime and penalties.
Pachuca started the shooting poorly Salomon RondonThe effort was saved by Mohamed El-Shenawy, and Borja Baston missed.
However, not all was lost, as Mahmud Kahraba’s shot was later saved by Moreno i Omar KamalHis spot kick went wide of the goal.
Faber Gil put the Mexicans ahead 6-5 and nerves were shattered when Khaled Abdelfattah hit the crossbar, much to Egypt’s dismay.
“It was difficult, very complicated, especially because of the marathon we played today,” said Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada. We will try to get the players back on their feet and back into the game [final] with all the motivation in the world.”
“Trust is the last thing that dies. We had confidence in our team, the players who scored the goal, Carlos, who became a star, deserved it,” added midfielder Pedro Pedraza.
“We had an unusual tournament and he was the first one to deserve it, thanks to him we won the championship [CONCACAF Champions Cup]”
This is the Mexican team’s fifth appearance at FIFA competitions. Their best performance came at the 2017 Club World Championship, when they finished third.
Champions League holders Real are the most prolific winner of the Intercontinental Cup, with five titles to their name BarcelonaCorinthians i Bayern Munich. Last year’s trophy went to Manchester City.
