Lionel Messi was powerless to stop the rout in Riyadh (Picture: Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo could only watch on from the stands, but he will have enjoyed his Al-Nassr side absolutely demolishing Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 6-0 on Thursday in Riyadh.
The friendly match between the Saudi Arabian and American clubs was billed as The Last Dance and a final meeting between the two legendary players.
However, a calf injury meant that Ronaldo could not play, while Messi is not fully fit himself and could only come off the bench for the final few minutes.
It was too little too late for Inter Miami, as the Argentine legend got on the field with his team already 6-0 behind.
Otavio opened the scoring after just three minutes, with Talisca scoring the first goal of his hat-trick 10 minutes in.
Former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte scored a memorable goal 12 minutes into the contest, with Mohammed Maran the other goal-scorer.
Laporte’s goal came from comfortably inside his own half as he spotted goalkeeper Drake Callender off his line and lobbed him from a preposterous distance.
Recognisable names like Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were all in Inter Miami’s starting XI, but could not stop the side being overwhelmed by their hosts.
Cristiano Ronaldo watched on from the stands (Picture: Getty Images)
The Al-Nassr manager revealed earlier this week that Ronaldo was set to miss out this evening.
‘We will not see [Messi vs Ronaldo],’ said Al-Nassr’s manager Luis Castro.
‘Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We hope that in the next few days you can start working with the team. He will be absent from the game.’
Messi and Ronaldo faced each other 35 times over the course of their decade-long rivalry, with the Argentine winning 16 times.
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