[ODUNEWS] January 20 – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi took fans back to the peak of their historic rivalry on Thursday, scoring in an exhibition match before Hugo Ekitike earned PSG a 5-4 win over the Riyadh Season Team.
Whilst the game may not have meant much to the teams involved, soccer fans across the world got a lot of bang for their buck as a story that had dominated the sport for over a decade appeared to come to an end in a historic goal-fest.
Messi and Marquinho’s goals were wiped out by a Ronaldo brace in an action-packed first half at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, while PSG’s Juan Bernat was sent off for a lunging challenge.
Played through on goal by Neymar, Messi was able to poke the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais, whom he last faced in Saudi Arabia’s shock World Cup win over Argentina in November.
When Neymar played him through on goal, Messi was able to poke the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais, whom he last faced in Saudi Arabia’s stunning World Cup victory against Argentina in November.
Despite falling behind early on, the Riyadh Season Team, a combined Saudi Pro League XI comprised of Al Nassr and Al Hilal players, had multiple chances. Ronaldo was a constant menace and earned a penalty when goalkeeper Keylor Navas collided with him.
Ronaldo, who had a huge red bruise on his cheek as a consequence of the impact, lifted himself up to calmly convert the penalty kick and tie the game.
Bernat was sent off shortly after the equaliser, but the Ligue 1 team rallied brilliantly by scoring through defender Marquinhos. Their advantage would not last long, however, as Ronaldo levelled the game just before halftime, slamming home a rebound after Sergio Ramos missed a simple clearance.
After the interval, Ramos turned in a Kylian Mbappe cross before South Korean Jang Hyun-soo responded with a near-post header from a corner to tie the game at 3-3. A handball by Ali Al-Bulaihi earned the visitors a penalty, which Mbappe brilliantly converted on the hour. It was Mbappe’s final contribution before being removed from the game along with his teammates.
Following a lung-busting run from the halfway line, Ekitike increased PSG’s advantage to 5-3 before Anderson Talisca scored a late consolation goal for the Saudis in injury time. Though he was unable to get his new chapter in Saudi Arabia off to a winning start, Ronaldo, 37, will take comfort from his performance as he prepares to make his first competitive appearance for Al Nassr against Al Ettifaq on Sunday.
