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Cristiano Ronaldo beat longtime rival Lionel Messi to the man of the match award in Riyadh Season Team's 5-4 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in an enthralling friendly. The iconic duo both scored as the Parisians claimed victory in a memorable exhibition match on Thursday (January 19).
The new Al Nassr arrival played in his first match since arriving in the Saudi Pro League and captained his side. He turned in a trademark performance despite being on the losing side.
Messi opened the scoring for PSG in the 3rd minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo responded with a penalty in the 45+6th minute. It was contentiously awarded after the Portuguese collided with Parisian goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Christophe Galtier's side pulled in front once again through Marquinhos in the 43rd minute. However, Ronaldo was right in the thick of things and slotted home another equalizer in the 45+6th minute after his header had hit the post.
He lasted 61 minutes, had seven shots, and created one chance. It was a typically mesmerizing performance from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. He was awarded the man of the match award ahead of his rival Messi.
Meanwhile, Sergio Ramos (53'), Kylian Mbappe (60'), and Hugo Ekitike (78') were also on the scoresheet for PSG. Jang Hyun-soo (56') and Anderson Talisca (90+4') replied for Riyadh Season Team.
PSG's YouTube stream lost 350k viewers after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were substituted
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both came off at the hour mark, much to the fans' disappointment at the King Fahd International Stadium. The legendary duo's performances were impressive in a competitive friendly.
Also, per Barstool Football, an astounding 350 thousand viewers dipped out of PSG's YouTube live stream of the game when the pair were substituted. It just shows what an attraction they are to the game.
Saudi fans will hope Lionel Messi follows Cristiano Ronaldo to the Middle East. According to the Daily Mail, he is being chased by Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal.
