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Business News/ Sports / Football News/ Watch: Keylor Navas punches Cristiano Ronaldo in face, bruised CR7 scores immediately after

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Watch: Keylor Navas punches Cristiano Ronaldo in face, bruised CR7 scores immediately after

1 min read 20 Jan 2023, 08:05 AM IST Join us

Sounak Mukhopadhyay

Cristiano Ronaldo began up front for a Saudi All-Star XI while longtime rival Lionel Messi lined up for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Cristiano Ronaldo goes for the header playing for a combined XI of Saudi Arabian teams Al Nassr and Al Hilal is challenged by PSG's goalkeeper Keylor Navas during a friendly soccer match, at the King Saud University Stadium, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo goes for the header playing for a combined XI of Saudi Arabian teams Al Nassr and Al Hilal is challenged by PSG's goalkeeper Keylor Navas during a friendly soccer match, at the King Saud University Stadium, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) **(AP)**

Cristiano Ronaldo was punched hard in the side of the face by Keylor Navas, leaving him with a huge bump. He received the bruised swelling as an unwelcome memento from his first game after moving to Saudi Arabia.

In a friendly match against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Riyadh, CR7 began up front for a Saudi All-Star XI while longtime rival Lionel Messi lined up for the Ligue 1 powerhouses. Al-Nassr was awarded a penalty as a result of the reckless challenge, which Cristiano Ronaldo buried into the top right corner. However, CR7 also enjoyed showing French world cup star Kylian Mbappe the lump on his face before the two cracked jokes in the centre circle.

Mbappe gave him a smile that appeared to indicate, "You'll be fine," and Ronaldo triumphantly lifted his arm like a heavyweight champion.

Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses Lionel Messi, becomes first player to…

Messi scored the game's first goal barely three minutes in, but when the Saudi team pushed for an equaliser, they turned to Ronaldo's renowned heading skills. He, however, did not anticipate his old Real Madrid teammate Keylor Navas to hit him while trying to punch the ball clear. The Saudi team was awarded a penalty.

Ronaldo stumbled to the ground, thankfully escaping serious injury. He grimaced in discomfort from his bruised cheekbone but composed himself before converting the spot-kick for his first goal in Saudi Arabia against Messi’s PSG.

Ronaldo scored his second goal at the end of the first half, blasting in a rebound after his header had rebounded against the post, and by then his cheekbone looked like a red apple. Ronaldo wheeled away in joy, sticking his tongue out, and was surrounded by teammates near the corner flag.

Also Read: How to watch Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Al-Nassr: Live-streaming details, time, schedule

At King Fahd International Stadium in front of 68,000 spectators, Lionel Messi's PSG defeated Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi squad 5-4. It was probably the last time fans saw the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry, one of the most famous ones in football history.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sounak Mukhopadhyay

Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer.