TOKYO - Pachuca's painful defeat in last year's Club World Cup inspired the Mexican team to secure a semifinal place against South American champions Liga de Quito in this year's tournament.

TOKYO - Pachuca's painful defeat in last year's Club World Cup inspired the Mexican team to secure a semifinal place against South American champions Liga de Quito in this year's tournament.

Pachuca's Club World Cup debut last year saw them dominate possession but squander chances to lose 1-0 to Tunisia's Etoile Sahel in the quarterfinal.

This time, the Mexican team stormed back from two goals down to beat six-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt 4-2 on Saturday.

Al Ahly forward Mohamed Aboutrika's deflected shot credited defender Fausto Pinto with an own goal as the Mexican team went down 1-0 in the 28th minute.

Aboutrika then linked up with team-mate Mohamed Barakat to feed Angolian forward Flavio in the 45th minute to put the Egyptian side in control at 2-0.

But substitute midfielder Luis Montes ignited a Pachuca comeback by scoring with a free kick from the right side of the box two minutes after the break.

Striker Christian Gimenez struck home an equaliser in the 73rd minute before Damian Alvarez and Gimenez sealed the victory in extra time. - Sapa-AFP