Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice after Lionel Messi had opened the scoring; Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos also on target but Neymar misses penalty in exhibition game; PSG prevailed 5-4 against Riyadh All Stars XI
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo matched up for likely the final time as PSG traveled to Saudi Arabia to take on the Riyadh All-Stars in a friendly match in the Middle Eastern nation’s capital.
The friendly was part of the state-sponsored Saudi festival known as Riyadh Seasons, and what a show it was, featuring nine total goals, a red card, and endless star power through the 90 minutes of end-to-end action. Both Messi and Ronaldo found the scoresheet, as did Kylian Mbappe, and PSG emerged with a 5-4 victory.
Ronaldo struck twice, once via a penalty and once from open play, while Messi gave teammates Mbappe and Neymar chances from the penalty spot as well.
Mbappe deposited his opportunity, but only after Neymar had flubbed his chance to score.
Juan Bernat was sent off in the 39th minute for a last-man foul, leaving PSG down a man for much of the game, but it didn’t matter as both sides took advantage of the exhibition environment to put on a show in front of net.
This match was little more than a showcase event between two star-studded squads featuring two iconic players, but the two teams will hope that good performances can springboard them further into the season’s competitive matches. The attacking talent on both sides really did steal the show.
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What was the main point of this match?
The point of the game was for Saudi Arabia to show off Cristiano Ronaldo. Watching some of the pictures from Riyadh this evening, there were quite a lot of empty seats.
“You had to wonder why this Saudi Arabian businessman Mushref Al-Ghamdi paid £2.2m at an auction for his VIP ticket. There looked to be hundreds if not thousands of empty seats there.
“If you happened to have had a season ticket at the King Fahd International Stadium, you’ve really been spoilt this week as it has hosted Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup as well as Inter Milan vs AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup.
“PSG were paid €8m to fly over to Saudi Arabia to play in the game, and it’s all about the fact that Saudi Arabia want to host the World Cup in 2030 and Qatar, who own PSG, want to host the Olympics in 2036. It was about money and it was about showing off power.”
Ronaldo analysis: Heavyweight champ still standing
Grimacing in pain from his bruised cheekbone, Ronaldo steadied himself before scoring from the penalty spot for his first goal in Saudi Arabia against a Paris Saint-Germain team featuring his old foe Messi.
Messi had already scored early in Thursday’s exhibition game when Ronaldo was flattened boxing-match style by PSG goalkeeper Navas after about 30 minutes in Riyadh, the city which gained sporting prominence for hosting a world heavyweight championship boxing bout in 2019.
It wasn’t Anthony Joshua but Navas who caught Ronaldo flush in the face with his forearm under a high ball. Both went down like felled boxers.
Ronaldo held his head, got back up, yawned as if to test his sore left cheek, and sent his former Real Madrid team-mate Navas the wrong way.
By the end of the first half Ronaldo’s cheekbone was bright-apple red but he was all smiles after netting his second goal, smashing in a rebound when his header came back off the post. Poking his tongue out, Ronaldo wheeled away in delight and was mobbed by team-mates at the corner flag.
When Mbappe checked on the state of Ronaldo’s cheek just before the second half, Ronaldo milked the attention from France’s World Cup star and pointed to the red mark.
Mbappe smiled at him as if to say ‘you’ll be fine’ and Ronaldo raised his arm in triumph like a heavyweight champion in front of 68,000 fans at King Fahd International Stadium.
Although his team lost, Ronaldo edged perhaps the final instalment of Ronaldo vs Messi, as one of the greatest rivalries in football history resumed in an unfamiliar location.
The Portuguese came off to a huge ovation just after the hour mark followed by Mbappe and Argentina’s World Cup-winning star Messi, who was warmly hugged by countryman Marcelo Gallardo, coaching the combined Saudi Arabian team.