Angel Di Maria embarrassed Cristiano Ronaldo & scored beauty in Al Nassr v Benfica | OneFootball

Angel Di Maria's good start to life back at Benfica continued on Thursday evening as he starred in their demolition of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.

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The Argentine was a free agent this summer after leaving Juventus.

Di Maria had strong interest from all around the world with clubs from Saudi Arabia and MLS vying for his signature.

But, in the end, Di Maria opted to reject those offers and opt for a return to Benfica, where he played from 2007–2010.

He made his first appearance in his second stint at the club against Basel last weekend, scoring in their 3-1 triumph.

He was in their starting lineup once again for their friendly against Al Nassr at Estádio Algarve.

And he shone as the Portuguese side recorded a comfortable victory over the Saudi Pro League side.

Angel Di Maria opens the scoring in Benfica vs Al Nassr

Di Maria notched the first goal of the evening in the 23rd minute.

The 35-year-old picked the ball up just inside Al Nassr's half and drove towards their goal.

Di Maria played a one-two with a teammate as he made his way into Al Nassr's penalty area.

The 2022 World Cup winner made a defender look like he wasn't even there before coolly chipping the ball past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net with his weaker right foot.

It was a classy goal and one that we've come to expect from Di Maria down the years. Watch it below...

Benfica went on to win the match 4-1.

Goncalo Ramos' brace gave Benfica a three-goal lead. Khalid Al-Ghannam gave the Saudi side hope of a comeback when he reduced the deficit just before half-time.

Di Maria was substituted at the break as Benfica made 11 changes.

19-year-old Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal of the second half as the reigning Portuguese champions cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory.

Di Maria also made his former teammate, Ronaldo, look silly with a lovely skill during his 45 minutes on the pitch.

The Benfica winger intercepted a cross-field pass from an Al Nassr defender with a superb piece of control.

Ronaldo was desperate to win possession back for his side and charged at Di Maria in an attempt to win the ball back.

Unfortunately for the Portuguese legend, Di Maria saw his former Real Madrid teammate coming and easily popped the ball over his head.

Ronaldo then bundled Di Maria over and the referee had no choice but to blow for a free-kick. Watch the moment below...

What next for Benfica and Al-Nassr?

Di Maria and Benfica are back in action on Friday evening when they take on Celta Vigo at Estádio Algarve.

They conclude their pre-season with matches against Burnley and Feyenoord before taking on fierce rivals Porto in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

Al Nassr and Ronaldo contest friendly matches against Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan on Tuesday July 25 and Thursday July 27 respectively.

They then begin their 2023/24 campaign up on Friday July 28 when they face Saudi rivals Al-Shabab in their opening Arab Club Champions Cup match.