They might be two of the richest clubs in the world, but even Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain could not turn down the millions of euros to play a friendly game in the pouring rain in Doha, Qatar on Thursday.
In a game that PSG dominated for large periods, rising Real star Jese scored the only goal of the game after 19 minutes to give the pro-Spanish crowd the win. A defence-splitting pass from Alvaro Morata allowed Jese to get behind the PSG back four and the young striker made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Italian goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
Up until the goal, it was the French champions who looked the more likely to score as they carved the Spanish side open several times in the opening 15 minutes.
The best chance fell to Edinson Cavani, who could not covert after being sent in alone against Real keeper Diego Lopez, but Lopez made a great block to deny the Uruguayan international.
The French club again enjoyed most of the possession after the break and Zlatan Ibrahimovic almost scored with a close-range header minutes after the restart, although the offside flag was up.
The game fizzed out in the second half as both managers emptied their benches to give players some much needed playing time due to the fact that both clubs are currently on their winter break.
Doha has become the destination of choice for Europe’e elite who are looking for a little sun and a big paycheck. Barcelona are obligated to play a friendly match in Doha in the first half of 2014, as part of a sponsorship agreement with Qatar Sports Investments and Chelsea are expected to provide the opposition.
The match would be played midweek during the opening fortnight in February, before the sides return to Champions League action at the end of the month.
