Pachuca Edge Al Ahly On Penalties To Book Showdown With Real Madrid

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain | The Peninsula

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.

Pachuca players celebrate with the FIFA Challenger Cup trophy after defeating Al Ahly on penalties.

"It's going to be tough, very challenging, especially given the football marathon we endured today. Still, we'll do our best to help the players recover and approach that match with all the motivation in the world,” coach Almada said on facing the European champions.

Midfielder Pedro Pedraza added:“It's a dream, not just for us, but for the institution, the fans, and our families. We are going to face it in the best way possible.”

Backed by a strong number of supporters, Al Ahly dominated possession at start of the match.

In the 12th minute, Taher Mohamed tested Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno with a powerful long-range shot, but Moreno was quick to dive and parry the ball to safety. Wessam Abou and Akram Tawfik also went close for the Egyptians before Idrissi, who had been instrumental in Pachuca's win over Botafogo, nearly caught Al Ahly off guard. However, Rondon blasted his rebound over the bar after Idrissi's initial shot had been blocked by a defender. Idrissi then saw a powerful strike from outside the box narrowly miss the target.

Moreno was again called into action to stop a low drive from Emam Ashour and the stalemate continued as both teams struggled to break through.

In the 37th minute, Al Ahly squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead. Taher, left unmarked in the box, received a precise cross but fired high from a good position. Both Ashour and Marawan Attia had efforts from outside the box, but Moreno was quick to make saves, ensuring the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

The second half started with both teams continuing to test each other from distance. Tawfik and Deossa both had long-range shots, but neither found the back of the net. At the hour mark, Yahya Attiat-Allah came close for Al Ahly but his effort from the edge of the box sailed just over the bar.

Midway through the second half, Pachuca weathered a series of Al Ahly attacks before enjoying a brief spell of possession. Deossa, from around 10 yards outside the box, sent a shot over the bar with 15 minutes remaining. ElShennawy made a brilliant save to deny Idrissi's superb effort and moments later, he thwarted Deossa's shot in the 89th minute.

With neither team able to find the breakthrough, the match went into extra time following eight minutes of stoppage time.

Angel Mena came close to scoring early in extra time, but Kamal did well to deflect the ball, which ended up in ElShennawy's hands. On the other end, Moreno comfortably saved Mohamed Afsha's attempt.

In the final stages of the first half of extra time, Afsha, brilliantly set up by Percy Tau, had a golden chance to put Al Ahly ahead but Moreno made another crucial save. The exchanges continued in the second half, with both Rondon and Afsha coming close to breaking the deadlock, but it was Pachuca who triumphed in the penalty shootout to seal a place in the final.

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