The match in Riyadh was not only Ronaldo’s debut after his transfer to al-Nasr, but also perhaps the last duel of the Portuguese star against eternal rival Messi. The new Argentine world champion opened the scoring in the third minute, but Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot in the 34th minute. Soon Marquinhos sent the favorite into the lead, but the 37-year-old gunner found an answer again when he hit the bar with his header.
The Parisians already played that without the suspended defender Bernat. Just before Ronaldo’s second goal, the Brazilian Neymar did not convert the penalty.
The score spilled even after the change of sides, but after an hour of play, Mbappé made it 4:3 with a penalty kick, and subsequently both coaches withdrew the biggest stars from the game, including Ronaldo and Messi. PSG already secured the lead in front of 68,000 spectators.
The French champion now awaits a return home and a cup duel against Pays de Cassel on Monday. An-Nasr face Ittifák in the league on Sunday and Ronaldo is expected to make his competitive debut. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a two-year contract with an-Nasr with an astronomical annual income of 200 million euros (about 4.8 billion crowns) already at the end of December, but due to a disciplinary punishment from his previous place of employment at Manchester United, he could not start yet.
