'Messi was scared of losing to Ronaldo's Al Nassr': Saudi's openly roast Messi in front of him-WATCH

In a strong performance, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr FC defeated Lionel Messi's Inter Miami CF 6-0 in the Riyadh Season Cup friendly yesterday. Otávio scored in the third minute, followed by Talisca in the tenth, 51st (penalty), and 73rd minutes, Aymeric Laporte in the twelfth, and Mohammed Maran in the 68th. Al-Nassr showed skill with 21 shots, 14 on goal, and 53% possession. They outperformed Inter Miami in a thorough showing at the Kingdom Arena, with an impressive pass accuracy of 90%.  Ronaldo did not play in the game owing to a calf issue. Messi made a brief appearance in the second half.

3 things you need to know 

• Al Nassr humiliated Inter Miami by 6-0 
• Cristiano Ronaldo did not play in the Al Nassr vs Inter Miami match 
• Lionel Messi made a small appearance in the last few minutes of the game 

Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to Laporte’s goal from half-way against Messi

Saudi adviser takes a brutal dig at Lionel Messi during Al Nassr vs Inter Miami 

After Lionel Messi was left out of Inter Miami's starting squad against Al-Nassr, a Saudi consultant launched a vicious attack on the Argentine superstar. The event happened against the backdrop of Ronaldo's absence from the friendly due to injury, transforming what was expected to be a clash between the two football heavyweights into a squandered chance known as the 'Last Dance'. Despite being substituted, Messi was unable to save his side from suffering a humiliating 6-0 defeat, making him a focus of scorn throughout the Middle East.

Looking ahead, Inter Miami will face the Hong Kong Team on February 4, followed by an AFC Champions League match against Al-Fayha on February 14. As the repercussions from the defeat continues, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, discussed the situation during a live broadcast on SSC. According to GOAL, he said: 

 “It seems like he [Messi] knew that Cristiano Ronaldo was injured and he knew that Al Nassr would [makes a whipping gesture]. So he avoided losing against Al Nassr without Cristiano. Saudi Arabia has become Messi's curse.”

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For Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, the game ultimately turned out to be a disappointing evening in a larger sense. Miami's suffering was exacerbated by a spectacular long-range goal from Aymeric Laporte, a hat-trick from Anderson Talisca, and a classic 'Siuu' celebration from Ronaldo by Talisca. Otavio and Mohammed Maran added further goals to give Al-Nassr a convincing 6-0 victory, much to the delight of their captain, who was on the sidelines.

Going forward, Lionel Messi will be keen to get over this disappointment and concentrate on assisting Miami in getting back to their winning ways. With three losses and just one draw so far this year, Tata Martino's team has had a difficult preseason. Their most recent success came on September 20, 2023, when they defeated Toronto 4-0.