Al-Nassr crushed Messi’s Inter Miami 6-0 as Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out due to injury, out of a much-hyped showdown with Lionel Messi, who was limited to a late substitute appearance in Thursday’s friendly in Riyadh.
Brazilian Talisca upstaged the illustrious duo with a hat-trick as Al-Nassr demolished Inter Miami, scoring three times inside the first 12 minutes of play
Otavio scored the opening goal as Miami lost possession of the ball trying to play out from the back.
Talisca turned in Al-Nassr’s second as the visitors again paid the price for giving away possession near their own box.
Aymeric Laporte scored the goal of the night, catching Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Calender well off his line as he belted in a long-range free-kick from deep inside his own half.
Talisca got his second from the penalty spot minutes after half-time and Mohammed Maran looped in a header to compound Miami’s misery.
Inter Miami were clearly feeling the effects of a globe-trotting pre-season tour, but the gulf in class was also stark.
Talisca completed his treble before Messi trotted on for the final seven minutes with his team trailing by six goals.
Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d’Or awards to Messi’s eight, cheered on from the stands as the Al Nassr goals rained in.
With the Saudi Pro League on its midseason break, Al Nassr planned to play two fixtures in China against Shanghai Shenhua and Zhejiang before the match against Miami in Riyadh.
But Ronaldo issued a public apology on Jan. 23 after his calf injury contributed to Al Nassr’s postponement of their tour of the country.
Inter Miami, who lost 4-3 to Al Hilal on Monday, travelled to Saudi Arabia as part of their preseason tour. They are due to face a Hong Kong XI on Feb. 4.
