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The match was played at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, and had all the drama of the FIFA World Cup clashes played at the same venue in 2022.

Al-Ahly looked much the better side for much of the contest, Pachuca not really having a chance of worth until late into the first 90 minutes.

Neither side could do any better through 30 minutes of extra-time, and after Pachuca missed its first two penalties in the shotout, Al-Ahly was in the box seat to take its place in the final.

But as Pachuca found its feet and started to score its spot kicks, Al-Ahly did the opposite, missing two in a row to take it to sudden death, and the 16th of the spot-kicks crashed back off the crossbar to hand Pachuca the victory.

Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada is braced for one of the biggest matches in the history of the Mexican club against Madrid.

His side has already had to come through two rounds of the tournament, eliminating Copa Libertadores holder Botafogo with a 3-0 victory before this win over Al-Ahly.

While Almada cannot wait to test his skills against Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and 15-time European champion Madrid, he knows recovery is now the name of the game for his side.

"Against Real Madrid it will be a very complicated match because of the football marathon we had today," he said.

"We are going to seek to recover, so we can face a match that will be transcendent for the club."

Reflecting on the win over Al-Ahly, Almada added: "We were a little exhausted because of the intensity we required in the game against Botafogo.

"Fortunately, we achieved this win with a marathon penalty shoot-out, but in the end what matters is the character we showed. That is very important for us.

"We maintained defensive security and that is to be recognised, but we didn't string together passes or generate scoring options."