RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — What was billed as a potential final meeting between longtime rivals Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t materialize, but there was no doubt which of the superstars enjoyed Al-Nassr’s 6-0 rout of Inter Miami more.
Messi spent all but the final seven minutes on the Miami bench looking increasingly glum as Al-Nassr, cheered on by an appreciative Ronaldo sitting high in the Kingdom Arena stands recovering from a calf injury, ran riot in this friendly and scored three goals in the first 12 minutes.
The 36-year-old Messi was initially not expected to play at all in the second match. It had been billed in advance as a potential “last dance” with former Real Madrid forward Ronaldo, 38, his adversary for years when Messi played for Barcelona, but the face-off of the two veterans did not materialise.
Inside three minutes, Otavio fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Miami´s goal which had his Portuguese compatriot Ronaldo on his feet cheering and clapping. It happened again three minutes later as Brazil´s Anderson Talisca scored from close range.
Aymeric Laporte then did the opposite, sending a free-kick from inside the Al-Nassr half over the head of Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender, who sprinted back toward his goal in a vain attempt to block the unexpected shot.
The MLS team, 4-3 losers to Nassr´s Riyadh rival Al-Hilal three days previously in the first game of its Saudi Arabian tour, offered little in attack in the first half apart from a Luis Suarez volley.
After the break, the goals continued for Al-Nassr, which was also missing Sadio Mane to international duty with Senegal and five senior domestic players at the Asian Cup with the Saudi Arabian national team, AP reported.
After 51 minutes, Talisca scored his second from the spot and midway through the half, Mohammed Maran headed a fifth. There was still time for Talisca to complete his hat trick and Miami´s humiliation.
Messi came on in the closing stages but had little impact.
Miami´s preseason tour continues in Asia with games in Hong Kong on Sunday and Japan three days later.
Talisca got his second from the penalty spot minutes after half-time and Mohammed Maran looped in a header to compound Miami’s misery. Talisca completed his treble before Messi trotted on for the final seven minutes with his team trailing by six goals.
The American side was clearly feeling the effects of a globe-trotting pre-season tour, but the gulf in class was also stark.
The Miami squad flew straight after the match to Hong Kong, where they will arrive early afternoon local time. Their co-owner David Beckham had reportedly flown to the city the previous day for a commercial engagement.
On Sunday at Hong Kong Stadium, they will face a Hong Kong team made up of players from the local Premier League, after staging a public training session on Saturday evening at the same venue.
Former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte then scored from his own half as he caught out Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender with a quickly taken free-kick.
The second half brought further goals for Talisca, from the penalty spot, Mohammed Maran, who headed in, and Talisca again as he collected a long ball over the high Miami defensive line to complete his hat-trick with 15 minutes left.
The globe-trotting jaunt continues in Hong Kong and Japan before the tour party return to the United States.
