Lionel Messi's Inter Miami suffers 6-0 defeat to Al-Nassr in friendly match with Ronaldo in stands

Ronaldo cheers on Al-Nassr's 6-0 rout of Inter Miami in Riyadh as Messi watches from the bench. Talisca scores a hat trick.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, what was anticipated as a potential final showdown between long-standing rivals Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo did not come to fruition. Nevertheless, it was clear which of the two superstars relished Al-Nassr's 6-0 victory over Inter Miami more on Thursday.

Messi spent the majority of the match on the Miami bench, visibly disheartened, while Al-Nassr, with Ronaldo in the stands recovering from a calf injury, dominated the game and scored three goals within the first 12 minutes. Otavio, with an unstoppable shot, and Anderson Talisca, from close range, found the back of Miami's net within three minutes of each other. Aymeric Laporte then surprised everyone with a free-kick from inside the Al-Nassr half, leaving Miami's goalkeeper sprinting back to his goal in a futile attempt to block the unexpected shot.

The MLS team, coming off a 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal in their first game of the Saudi Arabian tour, struggled in attack, managing only a Luis Suarez volley in the first half. Al-Nassr, missing key players due to international and domestic commitments, continued their dominance in the second half, with Talisca scoring his second from the spot and Mohammed Maran adding a fifth goal. Talisca completed his hat trick, adding to Miami's humiliation.

Despite Messi's late appearance, he had minimal impact on the game. Miami's preseason tour will continue in Asia with matches in Hong Kong and Japan.

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