Pachuca winger sizes up his team’s chances against Real Madrid in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024 final.
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Idrissi has a goal and an assist so far for Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup
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The Mexican club take on Real Madrid in the final on Wednesday
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The 28-year-old winger is looking forward to facing the European champions
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ is down to just two teams, as Mexican club Pachuca take on European heavyweights Real Madrid in Wednesday’s final at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
One of the players who has stood out for Pachuca in their road to the final is Oussama Idrissi. The Moroccan winger was unplayable in the 3-0 FIFA Derby of the Americas victory against Brazil’s Botafogo, as he dazzled spectators with a mazy run to open the scoring before supplying an assist on the third Pachuca goal.
He then showed ample personality for Los Tuzos in their difficult FIFA Challenger Cup clash against Egypt’s Al Ahly, helping his side gut out a scoreless draw over 120 minutes before a penalty shootout victory.
Now awaits their greatest challenge yet, and Idrissi appears to be the perfect player to lead the charge.
“I think it’s something huge for the players, for the board, for the club and for the fans to be in this final,” said Idrissi in an interview with FIFA.
“It’s always interesting to see where you are as a soccer player, where you are as a team, to compete against one of the best teams in the world, the biggest club in the world,” he added.
“It’s nice as a soccer player to compete against them, to try to show the best version of yourself. Real Madrid, of course, have a big history, players with a lot of quality and a lot of experience.”
Pachuca played their first two matches at Stadium 974 before moving to Lusail for Wednesday’s decider. The majestic venue served as the host of the final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, and Idrissi’s first impression of the Qatari jewel drew plenty of wonder.
“It’s amazing from the outside, it looks really prestigious,” said Idrissi. “Seeing the final of the 2022 World Cup, we know that the pitch and the ambience will be amazing.”
One important factor for Pachuca will be their ability to bounce back from a fiercely competitive 120 minutes against Al Ahly last Saturday night. However, with the team getting a full three days before returning to action, along with a thorough study of their opponents, Idrissi believes they will be primed to perform.
“The last game was heavier than what we are used to,” he said. “It was the first time this year we’ve played 120 minutes, plus penalties, so that has a big consequence for recovery. So we were really happy to have just another day to recover, to be fresh again for the game. Honestly, that was our top priority. And of course we’re also analyzing the opponent, and we’ll do our last training session to get a really good feeling for this game.”
And when the starting whistle blows, all the noise of facing a decorated team like Real Madrid and playing in a World Cup final stadium will fade away. It will become just 11 v 11, and Idrissi insists that a result can go Pachuca’s way against the Spanish titans if all the players are at their best.
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“They are used to playing games like this,” said Idrissi. “We know that every player on our team needs to be 10 out of 10 in his own performance, and as a team, we need to be at our top performance to get a result. It’s not going to be easy, but football is nice. You never know what can happen in this, and for this reason we will compete and try to get a result.”
