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Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his debut in Saudi Arabia with Lionel Messi also in goal.
Ronaldo had to wait for his first appearance since joining Al-Nassr due to the FA’s suspension during his days with Manchester United.
But his first match in Saudi Arabia was not in the colors of victory, as he joined an all-star team from the two big Riyadh clubs, Al-Nasr and Al-Hilal, to face Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi and Ronaldo shared the field for the first time since Juventus’ recent victory over Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League group stage in October 2020.
Lionel Messi needed less than three minutes to open the scoring against the All-Star XI in Riyadh for Paris Saint-Germain.
Cristiano Ronaldo finds the equalizer for the All-Star Sports team against Paris Saint-Germain.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second goal of the match against Paris Saint-Germain, and the score is now tied at 2-2.
Messi and Ronaldo had previously met 36 times, and the Paris Saint-Germain player won 16 matches, compared to 11 victories for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United in November, was chosen as the best player in the match, as the two teams shared nine goals, and Paris Saint-Germain lost 5-4, winning the exhibition match at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Argentina World Cup winner Messi opened the scoring from a Neymar pass with just two minutes on the clock.
The All-Stars, consisting of two players from Al-Hilal club and the new victory of Ronaldo, tied when the captain of Portugal fell with a penalty kick after a mistake by Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Despite only being friendly from PSG he was reduced to 10 men when Juan Bernat was seen red for a foul.
Marquinhos put PSG back on top with an impressive finish against the All-Stars in Riyadh.
Neymar had a penalty to forget against the All-Star XI in Riyadh, with Mohammed Al Owais making a comfortable save.
Kylian Mbappe converts from the penalty spot to give Paris Saint-Germain the lead.
The French team advanced again with a goal from central midfielder Marquinhos in a corner kick.
Then Neymar got a weak penalty kick that Mohammed Al Owais saved after stumbling in the area, and Ronaldo made it 2-2 before the end of the first half when he converted the rebound after his header bounced off the post.
Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, Sergio Ramos, put PSG back in front, but Jang Hyun-soo equalized.
There was no Ronaldo hat-trick as the 37-year-old retired after an hour.
A penalty from Kylian Mbappe and a goal from Hugo Ekitike gave the visitors a two-goal lead before Anderson Talisca scored the difference.
What is the point of this match? Photo: Ronaldo and Messi both score
Sky Sports News correspondent Kaveh Soolkul said:
“The point of the match was for Saudi Arabia to show off Cristiano Ronaldo. Watching some pictures from Riyadh this evening, there were plenty of empty seats.
“You had to wonder why Saudi businessman Musharraf Al-Ghamdi paid £2.2m at auction for a VIP ticket. There seem to be hundreds if not thousands of empty seats out there.
“If you had a season ticket at King Fahd International Stadium, this week was really spoiled as it hosted Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup as well as Inter Milan against AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup.
“Paris Saint-Germain was paid 8 million euros to travel to Saudi Arabia to play in the game, and it’s all about the fact that Saudi Arabia wants to host the World Cup in 2030 and Qatar, which owns Paris Saint-Germain, wants to host the Olympic Games in 2036.” It was about money and it was about showing off power.”
Ronaldo analysis: The heavyweight champion still stands Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring
Feeling the pain of a bruised cheekbone, Ronaldo steadyed himself before scoring from the penalty spot for his first goal in Saudi Arabia against a Paris Saint-Germain side that featured old foe Messi.
Messi had already scored early in Thursday’s exhibition match when Ronaldo was shot boxing-match style by Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Navas after about 30 minutes in Riyadh, the city that gained sporting fame for hosting the world heavyweight boxing championship bout in 2019.
It wasn’t Anthony Joshua but Navas who grabbed Ronaldo in the face and helped him under a lofted ball. They both fell like cut boxers.
Image: Ronaldo made his first appearance since the move
Ronaldo grabbed his head, rose again, yawned as if testing his sore left cheek, and sent former Real Madrid teammate Navas the wrong way.
By the end of the first half, Ronaldo’s cheekbones were bright red, but he was all smiles after scoring his second goal, volleying a rebound when his header bounced off the post. Poking his tongue, a delighted Ronaldo walked away and tackled his teammates at the corner flag.
When Mbappe checked the condition of Ronaldo’s cheek just before the second half, Ronaldo caught the French World Cup star’s attention and pointed to the red flag.
Image: Ronaldo and Messi renew their rivalry
Mbappe smiled at him as if to say “You’ll be fine” and Ronaldo raised his arm triumphantly like a heavyweight champ in front of 68,000 fans at the King Fahd International Stadium.
Despite his team’s loss, Ronaldo’s final push against Messi may have been eclipsed by Ronaldo, as one of the greatest rivalries in football history resumed in an unfamiliar setting.
The Portuguese came to a standing ovation after the hour mark, followed by Mbappe and the Argentine World Cup-winning star Messi, who was hugged tightly by his compatriot Marcelo Gallardo, who coached the joint Saudi national team.
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