Lionel Messi plays only 7 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo none as Inter Miami lose 6-0 in Saudi Arabia before Hong Kong visit
- Argentina star sits on bench with hamstring issue for match against Al Nassr, coming on briefly at the end after discomfort in previous match
- Miami routed by Al Nassr despite the Saudi club being without the already injured Ronaldo, as ‘last dance’ between him and Messi fails to materialise
The planned showdown between Lionel Messi and old rival Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia was reduced largely to spectating, as the Argentine icon’s club Inter Miami suffered a 6-0 rout while he nursed a hamstring issue on the bench.
Al Nassr managed better without their star man than Miami as they inflicted a heavy defeat on the American team, who held Messi back after he felt discomfort during their previous match on Monday, a 4-3 loss to Al Hilal.
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.
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.
