Cristiano Ronaldo was defeated in what could be the final meeting between himself and Lionel Messi, but he also received a black eye in the process. In a friendly match against Paris Saint-Germain, the 37-year-old started for a Saudi All-Star XI, and both he and Messi scored..
The Argentine scored the game’s first goal, but Ronaldo scored twice as the Ligue 1 giants won 5-4. The Saudi side swung a cross into the box for Ronaldo as they looked to equalize after the recent World Cup winning captain broke the deadlock just three minutes into the game in Riyadh..
Keylor Navas, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, attempted to clear the cross but collided with the 37-year-old striker’s face, giving away a penalty. Ronaldo clutched his face in pain as he fell to the ground, but he quickly rose to his feet and tucked away the penalty kick for his first goal in Saudi Arabia.
After colliding with Navas, Kylian Mbappe was seen taunting Ronaldo for his bruise alongside the referee, who later sent off Juan Bernat. However, with ten men, the French retook the lead when Marquinhos headed home from a corner.
A second penalty was given, this time to PSG, but Neymar’s feeble effort was easily saved before Ronaldo scored his second of the day..
He received a cross, but his header struck the post, rebounding back to the Portugal striker, who tapped home.
Ronaldo faced several former teammates, including Sergio Ramos, who put PSG back ahead before Jang Hyun-soo equalized at 3-3. Ronaldo had no chance of scoring a hat-trick because he was replaced after an hour.
Mbappe also scored from the penalty spot, and a goal from young striker Hugo Ekitike gave the visitors a two-goal lead before Anderson Talisca equalized. Ronaldo was taken off with a bruised cheekbone after testing it before slotting his penalty past Navas after the goalkeeper collided with Al Nassr’s newest star..
He was all smiles after his second goal, however, and pointed his bright red cheek out to Mbappe before the second half. The French star returned Ronaldo’s smile in front of 68,000 fans at the King Fahd International Stadium, who had come to see Messi and Ronaldo compete for the final time in their careers..
The pair last met in the Champions League group stages in October 2020, when Ronaldo’s Juventus defeated Messi and Barcelona 3-0, but the exhibition match over two years later saw both iconic forwards treated to massive applause as they were both substituted off in the second half.
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