“In the end what matters is the character shown for this victory, which is very important for us”

The Uruguayan Guillermo Almada, coach of Pachuca, Concacaf champion, highlighted the mettle of his team to beat Al-Ahly, of Egypt, on penalties (6-5), and advance to the final of the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup in the one that will be measured against Real Madrid.

«We were a little exhausted by the intensity we required in the game against Botafogo. Happily we achieved this pass with a marathon penalty shootout, but in the end what matters is the character shown for this victory, which is very important for us,” said the coach after the victory on penalties after 0-0 in regulation time. and the extension.

In their debut last Wednesday in the tournament in Qatar, Pachuca beat Botafogo, champion of the Copa Libertadores, 3-0, leaving the monarch of the African Football Confederation behind.

The next duel will be played for the title against Real Madrid, champion of the European Champions League.

Almada praised his team’s defensive application against the Egyptian team, but also criticized their lack of offensive depth.

“We maintained defensive security in the game and that is to be recognized, although we lacked weaving from the midfield upwards to generate scoring opportunities,” he stressed.

Almada mentioned that the most important thing for the duel against Real Madrid will be to recover the physical condition of his players.

«Against Real Madrid it will be a very complicated match due to the football marathon we had today; “We are going to seek to recover to face this very important match for the institution with all the motivation,” he assured.

Source: Agencies