In a match with very few emotions with the ball rolling and goalless draws in normal time and extra time, Pachuca beat Al-Ahly on penalties and will decide the Intercontinental Cup against Real Madrid.
In the semi-final, this Saturday (14), the Egyptian Al-Ahly was closer to the goal in normal time and even during penalty kicks when it led 2-0, but suffered from a comeback from Pachuca, which closed the decision 6-5 at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
Now, Pachuca will decide the title against Real Madrid on Wednesday (18), at 2pm (Brasília time), in Lusail.
The Mexicans, five-time champions of the Concacaf Champions League (Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean), reach the tournament’s final for the first time. Present in five editions, the Mexicans managed to fight for third place on two occasions at most — they lost in 2008 to Gamba Osaka, from Japan, and beat Al Jazira, from the United Arab Emirates, in 2017.
In the last Mexican Championship, Pachuca was only 16th.
Pachuca had eliminated Botafogo with a 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals. This was the first edition in which the Libertadores champion entered the tournament two stages before the decision. Until 2023, both the winner of the European Champions League and the winner of South America’s main club competition entered the semi-finals.
This Saturday, in normal time and extra time, both teams managed to create few scoring opportunities. The Egyptians were closer to victory, while the Mexicans tried to cool down their rivals’ momentum.
Al-Ahly, Africa’s biggest champion with 12 titles, is in its ninth participation in the competition, but has never advanced to the final of the competition.
