Cristiano Ronaldo left shocked over 'Man of the Match' award in Messi reunion
PSG faced a Saudi Pro League all-star team led by Ronaldo in a friendly match on Thursday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally made his Saudi Arabia debut on Thursday in a sensational friendly between Riyadh All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain. Despite his team losing 5-4, Ronaldo was awarded as the "Man of the Match" to his utter surprise.
The Portuguese star was given the captain's armband for the match, wherein he led some of his new Al-Nassr teammates along with a combination of other top players from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr on New Year's Eve, but was only able to make his debut for the club weeks later after serving a two-match ban handed to him by the English FA. The wait was well worth it as he scored a brace against PSG and treated the adoring crowd to his signature "Siiiiuuuuuu!" celebration.
However, despite his brace and two more goals from Jang Hyun-soo and Anderson Talisca, PSG won the match 5-4 thanks to the heroics of none other than Ronaldo's biggest rival, Lionel Messi and his teammates. It was a highly entertaining match that was a 9-goal thriller, but with PSG taking the victory, Ronaldo was surprised to receive the MOTM trophy.
The confusion on his face was evident when he was called to receive the award, but he was able to compose himself quickly. He then posed with the trophy and was bombarded with cheers from the delighted crowd.
Messi opened up the scoresheet for PSG with an early goal in the opening three minutes before Ronaldo equalised from the spot. He earned the penalty after getting smacked in the face by former Real Madrid teammate Keylor Navas.
Then the two teams traded goals again with Marquinhos scoring for PSG and Ronaldo for Riyadh All-Stars right before half-time. For his second goal, Ronaldo took advantage of a rebound from his own shot that another former teammate, Sergio Ramos, failed to clear.
The second half saw five more goals across both teams, with PSG coming up just one goal ahead. It was a marvellous show for the fans who came out to see a long-awaited reunion between Ronaldo and Messi.
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