Mexican side Pachuca advanced to the Intercontinental Cup with a 3-0 win over Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo on Wednesday thanks to second-half goals from Usama Idrisi, Nelson De Ossa and Solomon Rondon. Semifinals.
Pachuca will face Egypt’s Ahly on Saturday and has a chance to face defending Champions League champions Real Madrid in next week’s final.
After a nearly 20-hour journey from Rio de Janeiro to Doha and less than three days after clinching the Brazilian league title, Botafogo coach Artur Jorge dropped several key players from the start Rest, his tired team dominated this game. South American football is set to take things by storm in 2024.
It was the fifth match in a third different country in just over two weeks, with coach Jorge facing off against Mine who had beaten Mine 3-1 in the Copa Libertadores final in Buenos Aires ten days earlier. Atletico Luo’s team made five adjustments. Pachuca has not played any official matches for 31 days after being eliminated from the Apertura in Mexico.
Botafogo dominated possession throughout the game but squandered too many chances, culminating in Idrissi being punished when he brilliantly dribbled past three players as he entered the penalty area before firing in from close range in the 50th minute. .
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Coach Jorge made three adjustments in the 55th minute, sending captain Marlon Freitas, Argentine forward Thiago Almada and South American Libertadores Cup top scorer Junior Santos to try to Giving his team a spark that was clearly lacking, a lapse in Botafogo’s defense gave Deossa the chance for his second goal in the 66th minute.
As Brazil desperately tried to fight back, Pachuca calmly capitalized on a quick counterattack and Rondon scored in the 80th minute to seal victory for the CONCACAF champions.
“After arriving in a new country after a long trip, only to step onto the court for a little over 24 hours, the time difference, coupled with the unforgiving calendar, was frustrating, but it was something we had no control over as a team. We didn’t play well. , it’s a hard pill to swallow,” Jorge said at a news conference.
“I’m not going to try to make excuses for what we failed to do. Pachuca was better than us, they were more efficient and they took advantage of their opportunities in the second half. But the fact is that because of the situation we faced we couldn’t field our The team that wanted it today,” he added.
“There is nothing to say about the background because we have to stick with the result. The result was not what we wanted but nothing can take away the great results we have achieved this season,” Jorge concluded.
