Pachuca shock Botafogo 3-0 to advance in the Intercontinental Cup

DOHA, Qatar :Mexican side Pachuca stunned Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo 3-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Intercontinental Cup semi-finals thanks to second-half goals from Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Salomon Rondon.

Pachuca will face Egypt's Al-Ahly on Saturday for a chance to play against Champions League holders Real Madrid in next week's final.

Following a near 20-hour trip from Rio de Janeiro to Doha and playing less than three days after clinching the Brazilian league title, Botafogo manager Artur Jorge rested several key players from the start and his exhausted side were a shadow of the dominant force that took South American football by storm in 2024.

Playing their fifth game in a third different country in a little over two weeks, coach Jorge made five changes to the team that beat Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the Copa Libertadores final in Buenos Aires 10 days ago. Pachuca had not played a competitive match for 31 days, following their elimination from Mexico's Apertura competition.

Botafogo controlled possession throughout the game but were wasteful, missing too many chances and they ended up being punished when Idrissi brilliantly dribbled past three players on his way into the box before firing home from close range in the 50th minute.

Coach Jorge made three changes in the 55th minute, bringing on captain Marlon Freitas, Argentinian forward Thiago Almada and Copa Libertadores top-scorer Junior Santos in an effort to give his side the spark they were clearly lacking, but a mistake by Botafogo's defence gifted Deossa the second goal in the 66th minute.

With the Brazilian side trying desperately to get back in the game, Pachuca clinically made the most of a quick counter-attack, with Rondon finding the net