Pachuca were disappointed by defeat to Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup final, but they feel the tournament was still a big success.
-
Pachuca finished the Intercontinental Cup as winners of the FIFA Derby of the Americas and FIFA Challenger Cup
-
The Mexican club played in their first FIFA final
-
The Concacaf champions and Real Madrid will meet next year in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Pachuca’s magical journey in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ came to a close on Wednesday with a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the final at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
It brought to an end an incredible run by the Mexican club, as they reached the decider by defeating Brazilian side Botafogo in the FIFA Derby of the Americas before edging Egyptian giants Al Ahly in a penalty shootout in the FIFA Challenger Cup.
Despite the loss to the European heavyweights, Pachuca defender Andres Micolta told FIFA that the club can leave Qatar with their heads held high.
View this post on Instagram
“I think it is very exciting what we did in this competition,” said Micolta. “We knew the opponent that we were going to face, we knew that it was going to be a difficult opponent, but we leave satisfied with the effort on the pitch and what we gave in this tournament.
The night also marked the first time in history that Pachuca have played in a FIFA club final. For the 25-year-old Ecuadorian defender, it made for a very memorable experience.
“It’s something wonderful. I think many players wanted to take part in this competition because there are few teams that can get to this stage, so that is very satisfying, also for the fans. So we are taking it like that and we leave very happy, despite losing, which is not what we wanted. But we’re happy and satisfied for what we gave in the tournament.”
While the final served as the first match between the two sides, they will meet again next year in the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and Micolta and his Pachuca team-mates are already looking forward to getting another crack at Los Blancos.
“That’s what nice about football, that football always gives you another shot,” said Micolta. “This was a tournament in which many of us were first-timers, but I think it is a positive point for what is coming. A big Club World Cup is coming, another international cup is coming, so we have to take advantage.”
