Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada expressed his excitement about facing Real Madrid in the final of the Intercontinental Cup. This comes after a demanding match against Al-Ahly, during which his team had to overcome fatigue not only from having played 120 minutes against the Egyptians, but also from a previous clash against Botafogo of Brazil.
Almada acknowledged the stress he endured from the touchline during the penalty shootout, but had every confidence his players could advance to the final, where they will face Real Madrid of Spain.
“We were a little exhausted by the intensity required in the match against Botafogo. Unfortunately, we achieved this qualification through a marathon penalty shoot-out, but in the end, what matters is the character shown in this victory, which is very important for us,” said the Uruguayan at the end of the match held at Stadium 974.
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Pachuca recovered from missing two penalties to score six in a row, while the Pharaohs missed three in total, allowing the Mexican team to reach the final of the tournament.
“We maintained defensive solidity in the game, and that is worthy of praise, although we lacked fluidity from midfield to forward to generate scoring opportunities,” observed Almada.
He acknowledged being excited by the prospect of facing Carlo Ancelotti’s team, with the clash scheduled for this Wednesday in search of the Intercontinental Cup.
“Facing Real Madrid will be a very complicated match given the marathon of football we had today; we will seek to recover and face this crucial match for the institution with all the motivation,” he concluded.
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