Pachuca shock Botafogo 3-0 in Qatar, advance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup

Pachuca of Mexico upset Brazilian side Botafogo 3-0 in the Intercontinental Cup to reach the next stage of the competition.

Second-half strikes from Pachuca’s Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Salomon Rondon gave the North American continental champions victory over their South American counterparts on Wednesday at Stadium 974 in Doha.

The winners of the all-American clash progress to the next round of the new Intercontinental Cup format, where they will meet CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt on December 14.

Real Madrid, the current UEFA Champions League holders, lie in wait in the final four days later. The December 18 final will be played at Lusail Stadium, the venue that hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.

Pachuca qualified for the tournament as victors of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup – following their 3-0 win in the final against MLS side Columbus Crew in early June.

The defeat put a dampener on a brilliant two weeks for Botafogo in which they won the Copa Libertadores and wrapped up the Brazilian Serie A.

This year’s Intercontinental Cup is the inaugural edition of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, an annual club association football tournament organised by FIFA.