Cristiano Ronaldo won the man of the match award after Riyadh All-Stars lost 4-5 to PSG. He has also reacted to his reunion with his arch-rival Lionel Messi.
While PSG paraded all their top stars in the game, football fans were glued to the match looking forward to a recreation of the fiery El-Clasicos pitting Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi against each other.
It brings to memories the bygone years when the two superstars effectively had grips on the game and commanded the bragging rights.
At the Fahd International Stadium, the scenes were relived in a somewhat different fashion.
Ironically, the Messi and Ronaldo perfectly rehash scenes of the bygone era and glimmers of the old rivalry after they open scoring for both sides.
Lionel Messi leveraged on PSG’s superior display and blend of stars to give the visitors the lead in the 3rd minute before Cristiano Ronaldo responded to cancel out the Argentine’s goal.
After a set piece, the PSG goalkeeper elbowed the former Manchester United forward in the head following a goal-mouth scramble.
A penalty was awarded and Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and converted to level the score.
PSG were reduced to 10 men with the scoreline still at 1-1 draw but did not sway the balance of the game as the Ligue 1 giants continued to dominate proceedings.
Despite playing a man down, PSG took serial leads in the game, but Cristiano Ronaldo proved critics wrong bagging a brace in the first half to tie the game at a 2-2 draw after the first half.
Kylian Mbappe, Sergio Ramos, and Ekitike went on to score for PSG in the second half while Hyung and Talisco scored for Riyadh All-Stars in the second half.
The match ended with 10-man PSG winning 4-5 after the final whistle.
Despite the loss, Cristiano Ronaldo showed signs of a potential comeback in the new phase of his career in Saudi Arabia after a disappointing spell with Manchester United.
He did not only score against the Ligue 1 giants but registered his presence in both halves of the game.
He completed 85% of his passes and had 10 shots in the game, and win 4 tackles, with 46 touches of the ball.
Lionel Messi was instrumental in PSG’s win over the home side. He scored the opening goal and won a penalty for PSG. Messi completed 87% of his passes, won 4 duels, and had 6 shots in the game with 2 on target.
Cristiano Ronaldo wins Man of the Match Award, Reacts to reunion with Lionel Messi
After making his debut in Saudi Arabian football, and landing his first Saudi strike, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the Man of the Match award.
After the game, he took to his social media to react to his return to pitch and reunion with Lionel Messi. He wrote, ” So happy to return to the pitch and be on the score sheet!! And happy to meet some old friends.”
After the game Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured giving Neymar, Mbappe, and Messi a hug.
Lionel Messi posted a shot of the warm embrace by the Portuguese star on his Instagram stories.
After serving his two-match ban, all is now cleared for Ronaldo to make his debut for Al-Nassr as he prepares for a new phase in his football career in Saudi Arabia.
