Ronaldo is the main protagonist for Pioli to debut with a win; Toney’s brace secures Brentford victory

Portuguese star makes his debut for Al Nassr in a friendly match with a 5-4 score against Lionel Messi’s PSG

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his debut for Al Nassr in a thrilling 5-4 friendly win over Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 37-year-old forward, who joined the Saudi Pro League club on a reported £175m-a-year contract in December, made his much-anticipated debut in front of a sold-out crowd at the King Fahd International Stadium.

Ronaldo scores twice in enthralling debut

Ronaldo, playing for a Riyadh Season XI side that also included former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina and ex-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the third minute. The Portuguese star doubled his tally just before half-time with a superb strike from outside the box.

PSG hit back after the break with goals from Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappé and Hugo Ekitike, but Ronaldo’s brace and goals from Anderson Talisca and Hyun-soo Jang secured a memorable win for the Riyadh Season XI.

Toney’s double helps Brentford stun Liverpool

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Brentford secured a shock 3-1 victory over Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium on Monday.

Yoane Wissa gave the Bees an early lead before Bryan Mbeumo doubled the advantage with a stunning strike from outside the box. Ivan Toney then sealed the win with a fine finish in the second half.

Liverpool’s struggles continue

The defeat leaves Liverpool eighth in the Premier League table, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal. It was another disappointing performance from Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have now lost three of their last four matches in all competitions.