Pachuca was revived like the phoenix bird and reached the grand final of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup after overcoming a two-goal deficit in the penalty shootout and eliminating Al Ahly in sudden death.
Los Tuzos will face Real Madrid in the final of the tournament, which was automatically recognized as champions of the 2024 Champions League. The final will be played on Wednesday, December 18th at the Lusail Stadium (Qatar).
Guillermo Almada played a very cautious game against a rival considered one of the best clubs in African history.
The Tuzos' conservative and defensive stance limited their attacking options and closed the spaces for Al Ahly, resulting in the semi-final of the Intercontinental Cup, called the Challenger Cup, being a very difficult game with few dangerous actions.
The Egyptian club tried harder in the first 90 minutes but lacked the skill to define the final move. Credit also goes to Hidalgo's defense, who struggled to carry the load of the game.
The Tuzos felt comfortable giving the ball to Al Ahly and opted for the counterattack as their attacking strategy. The Mexicans' only dangerous move was a one-on-one by Oussama Idrissi that ended with a rebound for Salomón Rondón, who took advantage and shot well over the crossbar.
It encouraged Ahly to see that Pachuca had no great attacking intentions, but their approaches ended with crosses into the penalty area that were repelled or unused by their strikers.
It was no different in the second half and at no point did you get the feeling that any team wanted to win the game in regular time.
Pachuca eliminates Al Ahly in sudden death and faces Real Madrid in the final of the 2024 Intercontinental Cup
The dynamic doesn't change in overtime and the wear and tear takes its toll on both teams.
At the end of extra time, Rondón had another chance in front of goal, but he couldn't find his goal.
As the minutes passed, the penalty shootout seemed to be the only way for a victorious team to win.
In the penalty shootout, Pachuca started on the left foot with a mistake from Rondón combined with a good shot from goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
The Egyptian team immediately took the lead with a great shot from Mohamed Magdi Kafsha. Los Tuzos finished with a shot that was completely wide of Borja Bastón's goal, setting the table for Al Ahly's passage to the 2024 Intercontinental Cup final.
However, the Egyptians incredibly missed two of their last three shots and Pachuca scored them all to send the shootout to sudden death.
Elías Montiel gave the Tuzos their first lead of the round as the Egyptian club were put under complete pressure. I'm sixth shot
Follow us on
Twitter @ElDictamen
Or if you prefer, in Facebook /The opinion.
And also on Instagram: @ElDictamen
More news: HERE
