Pachuca pip Casablanca in extra time of Club World Cup quarters

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Pachuca pip Casablanca in extra time of Club World Cup quarters
CF Pachuca's Keisuke Honda vies for the ball against Wydad Casablanca's Brahim Nakach (left) in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Abu Dhabi - Mexican midfielder Victor Guzman scores an extra-time winner

By Ashwani Kumar

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Published: Sat 9 Dec 2017, 6:47 PM

Last updated: Sun 10 Dec 2017, 12:21 AM

Mexican midfielder Victor Guzman scored an extra-time winner as CF Pachuca beat 10-man Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca 1-0 to qualify for the semifinals of the Fifa Club World Cup.
It was a high-tempo match with both teams in attacking mode at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The encounter saw lots of forays into the box. In the second minute, Angelo Sagal went through for CF Pachuca but was ruled offside. Pachuca played with great coordination and intent as midfielder Victor Guzman kept feeding Sagal and Jonathan Urretaviscaya. However, Wydad kept Pachuca at bay with a watertight defence formation. Wydad's Cheick Ibrahim Comara was the livewire in the defence and made some good tackles.
For Wydad, Achraf Bencharki and Brahim Nakach looked threatening but couldn't find a breakthrough. The desperation saw many players earn bookings too.
After the break, the Concacaf Champions League winners kept pushing forward. CF Pachuca's Robert Herrera and Keisuke Honda both had chances sail over the bar. Urretaviscaya kept swinging in corners for Pachuca but their striker failed to find the net.
With 30 minutes on the clock, Wydad got in Ismail El Haddad and the midfielder hit the bar in his first minute of play. Wydad, however, suffered a setback as captain Nakach was shown a second yellow for a challenge on Jorge Hernandez.
With such an attacking play, the custodians were always kept on their toes. Goalkeeper Oscar Perez, the oldest player in the tournament, made some fantastic diving saves and Wydad's Zouheir Laaroubi punched out many rival efforts to maintain a clean sheet till the end of 90 minutes.
The match entered extra-time to find a winner. And Wydad resistance was finally broken in the second-half of extra time.
The ball had nearly gone out when Urretaviscaya churned out a pass into the box and Guzman scored through a powerful header. The goal silenced the majority Moroccan fans in the stadium.
The result puts Concacaf Champions League winners up against Gremio in the semifinals to be played in Al Ain on Tuesday.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com


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