كتب : وكالات
Pachuca coach Enrique Meza lauded his team's 4-2 victory over Ahli in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday.
"The better team won today," Meza told reporters. "We felt it was unfair that we were down 2-0 at half-time because we were better than Ahli."
The CONCACAF champions came back from 2-0 to beat the six-time African champions.
"We went into the second half with the purpose of playing creatively, and that is what we did," he said. "We controlled the pitch and made sure to play in a more attacking way."
The Pachuca manager said that the timing of his team's first goal was crucial.
"Ahli are a good team, their ball-handling is excellent. They played like they played in Cameroon (CAF Champions League final), which is what we expected them to do.
"The timing of our first goal was very important in changing the situation."
When asked about the substitutions he made, Meza said: "Luis Montes is an excellent player; he is good in set pieces and mid-range shooting."
Mentos opened the scoring for Pachuca two minutes into the second half.
Meza summarized the reasons for Pachuca's victory in two points: luck and attitude.
"We were lucky to come back the way we did, but this is because we were always serious about the game and the tournament," he said.
The 60-year-old manager said that his team will be prepared for their semi-final encounter with Liga De Quito of Ecuador.
"They are an excellent team and we have the utmost respect for them, but we are not feeling any pressure ahead of the game.
"I will start thinking about the Liga game from tomorrow and then hopefully about the final match," Meza added.