'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABcAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAEDBQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQABQYREgchAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBREBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIRAAMS/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCHx6wWBz2EcZWCLtvUIoiL/DhLtgXQE1EB6bBU1wmt1l+QYRaIl+ukdt2VwzOkAO3PuhNUSlKrGNehhhbnA+7khKdYO//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi locked horns for possibly the last time as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) faced Riyadh All-Star XI at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday (19 January).
The clash between PSG and a combined XI from Riyadh-based clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr felt anything but friendly at times. A wildly entertaining affair, the match finished 5-4 in PSG’s favor.
Messi, Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappe, and substitute Hugo Ekitike were on the scoresheet for the visitors. Ronaldo led the charge for the hosts with a well-taken brace while Hyun-Soo Jang and Anderson Talisca also got on the scoresheet, netting a goal each.
The first of the nine goals on Thursday came from Messi's magical left boot just three minutes into the game. Neymar spotted his teammate’s run down the right-inside channel and placed the ball in his path inside the box. Messi sumptuously put it away to give his team the lead.
The reply inevitably came from Ronaldo after he won a penalty following a coming together with the Parisian keeper and former teammate Keylor Navas. With a bulging bruise under his left eye, Ronaldo stepped up to take the 34th-minute penalty and put it away in style, scoring his first goal in Saudi Arabia.
Five minutes later, Juan Bernat was sent off for bringing down Salem Al Dawsari during a Riyadh All-Star counter-attack. The Saudi Arabian would have been clean through on goal if it weren’t for Bernat’s challenge, which made the decision pretty straightforward for the referee.
Instead of making the extra man count, Riyadh found themselves a goal down in the 43rd minute, courtesy of Marquinhos’ tidy finish from point-blank range. A couple of minutes later, PSG won themselves a penalty, thanks to Ali Al-Boleahi’s foul on Neymar. The Brazilian failed to convert the penalty he won, hitting a lame shot to the right, making it easy for Mohammed Al Owais to make a save.
Having seen his team endure a big scare, Ronaldo equalized again. In first-half added time, the 37-year-old capitalized on his rebound off the post after Ramos failed to clear it.
Eight minutes into the second half, Ramos made amends for his shambolic first-half defending, putting away Mbappe’s excellent delivery mere yards from the goal. Their lead, however, only lasted for three minutes, with Jang producing a thumping header at the near post to draw the hosts level.
Right before the hour mark, Ali Al-Boleahi saw a yellow for a handball inside the box. Mbappe stepped up to take the resulting penalty and put it away in style, restoring PSG’s one-goal cushion. In the 78th minute, substitute Ekitike connected with Ismael Gharbi’s layoff and put ten-men PSG 5-3 up.
In injury time, Talisca went for the Parisian goal from outside the box, cutting the visitors’ lead in half. Riyadh All-Star XI pushed for the equalizer in the final minute but had no luck.
Here are five players who impressed in the wildly entertaining friendly between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Riyadh All-Star XI and Lionel Messi’s PSG on Thursday:
#5 Anderson Talisca
Brazilian attacking midfielder Anderson Talisca was introduced at half-time against PSG. In the second half, he was at the heart of everything positive for the hosts, creating openings, putting pressure on the visitors, and scoring an excellent goal in injury time.
Receiving the ball outside the "D", Talisca moved slightly to the left, steadied himself, and let fly with a left-footed shot. Substitute goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to keep it from nestling into the bottom-left corner.
The excellent goal aside, Talisca created two chances, played five passes into the final third, made two recoveries, and won three ground duels.
#4 Sergio Ramos
PSG ace Sergio Ramos was like a livewire on the Saudi Arabian pitch on Thursday. He passed the ball around with authority, won most of his duels, and arrived in the right place at the right time to apply the finishing touch to Mbappe’s offload.
In the 53rd minute, he took the perfect position inside the box to put away the Frenchman’s low cross from the left. Except for failing to clear the ball before Ronaldo’s goal in the first half, Ramos had a perfect game.
Against Riyadh All-Star XI, the Spaniard completed 34 of 35 passes, delivered an accurate long ball, won two of three tackles, performed three clearances, and won five ground duels.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe was easily the visitors’ best player on the pitch on Thursday night. He used his pace superbly to beat players, linked up well with teammates and was admirably unselfish. Mbappe contributed directly to three of the five goals, pitching in with two assists and a goal.
The Frenchman first set up Marquinhos with a smart cutback in the first half. In the second 45, he dashed down the left flank, ran up to the byline, and cleverly laid it off to Ramos lurking inside the box. Mbappe’s 60th-minute penalty was also as convincing as one would like, with him hitting it down the middle and getting the better of Al Owais.
At the King Fahd International Stadium, Mbappe created two big chances, completed a dribble, won a ground duel, and played 25 accurate passes (81% accuracy).
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi drew first blood in the mouth-watering friendly affair in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Just three minutes into the game, the Argentine received an excellent ball from Neymar inside the box. He let the ball bounce once before applying a first-time finish, taking it beyond Al Oawis and into the bottom-left corner of Riyadh All-Star XI’s goal.
The stunning opener aside, Messi created a big chance, completed 42 passes (91% accuracy), delivered two accurate long balls, and won his only attempted tackle.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Playing his first-ever game in Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a performance to remember. Eager to get on the scoresheet, the Portuguese chased every ball in the final third and kept constant pressure on the PSG backline. His efforts paid off as well, with him walking away with two goals and the Man of the Match award.
In the 34th minute, he converted from the spot, beating Navas with a powerful shot to the keeper’s left. Ronaldo struck again in the sixth minute of first-half injury time, showcasing his razor-sharp reflexes. His initial header came back into play after clattering against the left post. Ramos failed to clear the ball, allowing Ronaldo to put it away from close range.
The former Manchester United ace also created a chance, made two passes into the final third and completed a dribble.
