Al Nassr and Inter Milan drew 1-1 in the second match of their preseason tour in Japan on Thursday, with Cristiano Ronaldo being replaced at halftime.
Al Nassr Draw With Inter Milan: Midway through the first half, Al Nassr’s Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored the game’s first goal. A minute later, Inter’s Davide Frattesi responded with an equalising goal.
The January transfer of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Al Nassr propelled Saudi football to the attention of the globe.
Since then, one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world, the Public Investment Fund, has continued to sign players for Saudi clubs from the top leagues in Europe, notably France striker Karim Benzema, who joined Al Ittihad from Real Madrid.
Following in Ronaldo’s footsteps, Alex Telles made his debut for Al Nassr in Osaka on Sunday after joining from United.
The first real opportunity was provided by the Brazilian left-back in the 20th minute, but Inter custodian Filip Stankovic turned away compatriot Talisca’s header.
Following Ronaldo’s attempted long-range attempt that missed the target two minutes later, Ghareeb scored in the 23rd minute after a chipped Talisca pass fell to him.
Both Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa missed chances to equalise the score for Inter, but Frattesi headed in a Denzel Dumfries cross with ease in the 44th minute.
At the half, Simone Inzaghi of Inter and Luis Castro of Al Nassr both decided to make numerous substitutes. Ronaldo was one of many players to leave.
Martinez continued to miss several excellent opportunities in the second half, but neither team was able to break the score, giving Al Nassr their second match of the week following Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
Inter’s next opponent is PSG, and the two European powerhouses will clash in Tokyo on Tuesday.