Mexican side Pachuca defeated Egyptian club Al Ahly on penalties to advance to the Intercontinental Cup final against Spanish giants Real Madrid in Qatar.

Mexican side Pachuca defeated Egypt’s Al Ahly on penalties at Stadium 974 in Doha on Saturday to secure the Challenger Cup and their place in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.

Pachuca will now face Spanish giants Real Madrid in Qatar on Wednesday, who will enter the tournament as European champions in the final.

The South American team defeated the African team 6-5 on penalties after a goalless semi-final in which Al Ahly dominated possession and tested the goalkeeper five times, while Pachuca were tested three times.

Four penalties were missed by the teams, including Pachuca’s Salomon Rondon’s first penalty, before right-back Khaled Abdel Fattah’s shot hit the crossbar at the crucial moment.

“It was difficult, very complicated, especially because of the marathon game we played today,” said Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada. “We will try to get the players back on their feet and go into the game (final) with all their motivation.”

Wednesday’s final against Madrid will be played at the Lusail Stadium, which hosted the World Cup final between Argentina and France two years ago.

38,841 spectators were in attendance on Saturday at Stadium 974, which was built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup using so many shipping containers to be a “beacon of sustainability” as part of Qatar’s commitment to host the first carbon-neutral tournament.

Pachuca of Mexico pulled off an upset in the last round – the Derby of the Americas – with a 3-0 win over Brazilian side Botafogo thanks to second-half goals from Pachuca’s Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Rondon.

Botafogo had just achieved the national double in Brazil.

The victory for Pachuca continues a remarkable year in which they have already won the Concacaf Champions Cup following a 3-0 win in the final against MLS side Columbus Crew in early June.