Pachuca clinched the Americas Derby Cup in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup with an impressive 3-0 victory over Brazil’s Botafogo on Wednesday evening in Doha, Qatar.
The Mexican side’s triumph was spearheaded by Moroccan star Osama Idrissi, who opened the scoring in the 50th minute and later assisted Salomon Rondón’s third goal in the 80th minute.
Substitute Nelson Diyoza added the second goal in the 66th minute during the match, which took place at Stadium 974 in Doha.
With this victory, Pachuca advanced to the semi-finals, where they will face Egypt’s Al-Ahly, the reigning African champions, on Saturday.
The winner of the match between Pachuca and Al-Ahly will advance to the final to face European champions Real Madrid on Wednesday, the 18th of this month, at Lusail Stadium.
Botafogo, despite recently securing their first-ever league and Copa Libertadores double, were unable to carry that success into this match.
Pachuca dominated the match, showing their superiority and creating several dangerous opportunities throughout both halves. In the first half, they threatened Botafogo’s goal with efforts from Salomon Rondon, Elias Enrique, and Bryan Gonzalez, but the score remained 0-0 at the break.
Botafogo struggled in the first half, failing to generate any significant attacking threat and looking ineffective in their offensive play.
In the second half, Moroccan Oussama Idrissi made the difference, scoring a brilliant solo goal. He skillfully manoeuvred around Botafogo’s defenders before calmly finishing from inside the penalty area.
Substitute Nelson Dioza doubled Pachuca’s lead shortly after coming on, and Idrissi provided the assist for Salomon Rondon’s third goal. Rondon also missed another opportunity with a shot from outside the box that went wide of the right post.
Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno was sharp in stopping two attempts, with the most notable save coming from left-back Cuiabana in the 66th minute. His performance helped secure a well-deserved and resounding victory for the Mexican side at Stadium 974.
After the match, Pachuca’s players and coach were awarded gold medals and the Derby of the Americas Cup.
