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E-mail Xinhua, February 2, 2024
Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr whitewashed the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) giant Inter Miami 6-0 on Thursday in a friendly match.
"The Last Dance" match was supposed to be the final chapter in Miami member Lionel Messi's rivalry with fellow global superstar and Al Nassr player Cristiano Ronaldo.
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (R) controls the ball during the friendly football match between Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr FC and the US Inter Miami CF at the Kingdom Arena Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 1, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)
Ronaldo didn't play in the match due to an injury suffered last week. Messi was initially excluded from the Miami lineup, but a late change saw him added to the bench, and he played the final minutes of the match.
Al Nassr midfielder Otavio opened the scoring in the third minute when he got the ball on the left corner of the box, cut in and curled the ball into the top right corner.
Anderson Talisca doubled the lead in the 10th minute. The Brazilian tapped home a cross from Otavio following an excellent team move.
Two minutes later, Al Nassr trippled the lead with a screamer from Laporte, who found the net from his own half which is a world-class goal!
In the 42nd minute, Busquets and Boushal picked up a yellow card each. Boushal was booked for his challenge, while Busquets was booked for retaliating as players from both teams picked a fight.
In the second half, Talisca converted a penalty, and Maran scored a header off a corner kick, bringing up the Saudi league team's fifth goal of the night.
Fans were seen cheering as Lionel Messi was warming up to hopefully come on soon on 71 minutes.
Talisca pulled off a sensational finish to find the net in the 73rd minute. Although the lineswoman signaled he was offside, after a VAR check, the referee confirmed that Talisca was not offside, and he completed his hat-trick after all.
The Brazilian celebrated the goal with Ronaldo's trademark "Siuuuu" celebration.
In the 83rd minute, Messi replaced Campana to join the match.
Although the game was part of the Riyadh Season Cup, it was effectively a friendly. But it was played with plenty of edge and intensity.
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