TOKYO: Mexico s Pachuca came from behind to sink six-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt 4-2 in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup in Tokyo on Saturday.
Two free kicks and two dramatic extra-time goals put Pachuca in line for Wednesday s showdown against South American champions Liga de Quito of Ecuador.
The scoring began in unfortunate fashion in the 28th minute when Pachuca defender Fausto Pinto directed a cross from the left by Al Ahly striker Mohamed Abou-Trika into his own net.
Abou-Trika then linked up with teammate Mohamed Barakat to feed Flavio in the 45th minute to put the Egyptian side up 2-0.
After failing to score in the first half, Pachuca launched a dramatic comeback after the break.
Midfielder Luis Montes, having replaced Jaime Correa for the second half, slammed home a free kick from the right side of the box in the 47th minute.
Pachuca equalized in the 73rd minute after a foul by Al Ahly defender Shady Mohamed resulted in a free kick which striker Christian Gimenez curled into the net, wowing the more than 30,000 spectators gathered at the National Stadium.
Extra time ensued, with Damian Alvarez scoring in the 98th minute before Pachuca striker Bruno Marioni set up the second Gimenez goal to make the game 4-2 12 minutes later.
The win for Pachuca, who dominated possession, helped to make up for their 1-0 loss to Tunisia s Etoile Sahel in their Club World Cup debut last year.
Pachuca coach Enrique Meza expressed his satisfaction.
We were playing better than Al Ahly, even in the first half. We tried many things to get to the goal, and those efforts brought us the victory, Meza said.
Al Ahly coach Manuel Jose meanwhile said his players had crumbled under the pressure created by the high expectations of their fans, making them too tense to display their full talents.
We did not play at the quality that we normally play, he said. Players became tense, they felt pressure. I think those factors led to today s loss. Jose said his players were unable to counter the persistent Pachuca attack after the free kick by Montes.
We have received many African titles, but too often we lose at international games, he said. The inexperience of the players showed today.
Looking ahead, Meza said: I have deep respect for Liga. They are a wonderful team. We cannot tell which one will win until we actually start the game. But I hope the better team will win the game. -AFP
