Former Liverpool strikers Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane reconnected when their clubs squared off in the Saudi Pro League.

During their tenure on Merseyside, the trio, along with Mohamed Salah, formed a deadly front three that propelled Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League titles. They spent six seasons together, playing on the same team 223 times and scoring 202 goals in all.

Liverpool fans were disappointed when Mane departed the club in 2022 to pursue a new challenge at Bayern Munich. Emotions were amplified tenfold when Firmino said a tearful goodbye to Anfield exactly one year later.

The arrivals of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, as well as the recent advancements of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, have helped to ease the blow of their departures. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp’s former forwards have joined the Saudi Pro League, which is rapidly rising.In the competition’s most recent round of fixtures, Firmino’s Al-Ahli, whom the Brazilian transferred directly to on a free transfer last year, hosted Mane’s Al-Nassr, the club he joined after only one year in Germany.

While it appeared to be a third-versus-second table clash, both are still well behind leaders Al-Hilal. Prior to kickoff, the clubs were separated by six points, making for an intriguing contest for the final AFC Champions League qualification berth.

The match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium was eventually decided by a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the second half, his 50th goal for the club. He had a goal disallowed by the video assistance referee for offside, as had Firmino at the other end of the field.

Once completed, Firmino and Mane were spotted sharing a moment in the tunnel.

As Firmino accepted Mane’s match-worn shirt, the ex-Reds stars spoke briefly. It appeared to be a much friendlier reunion than the previous meeting between the clubs last September, when the Senegal international celebrated a goal by climbing on his furious former teammate’s back.