Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino smiled and hugged as they reunited following a Saudi Pro League match.

The former Liverpool team-mates shook hands and shared a joke and looked delighted to see each other despite a high-stakes result.

Cristiano Ronaldo had converted a penalty to ensure Mane’s Al-Nassr side kept their vanishing title hopes alive – and booted Firmino’s Al-Ahli nine points behind them in third.

Al-Nassr are themselves nine points off unbeaten league leaders Al-Hilal, who are storming to the title thanks to the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Following the game, Firmino was holding a yellow Al-Nassr shirt, so it is possible that he and Mane had swapped kits.

Their reunion was fleeting – not even 20 seconds on camera – before they split and Mane received a pat on the head from Ronaldo.

Mane had assisted Ronaldo for a goal in the 42nd minute but VAR ruled it out.

Then, in the second half, Firmino netted a simple tap-in but that too was disallowed, meaning Ronaldo’s later penalty was the only goal of the game.

They also played each other earlier in the season when Al-Nassr won 4-3 in a dramatic home game.

While they are raking in the cash with two of Saudi Arabia’s top clubs, Mane and Firmino haven’t found it all plain sailing.

Brazilian ace Firmino, 32, actually went 16 games without a goal and was even dropped to the bench in the lead-up to the winter break.

He has six goals and four assists in 23 games but that is a far cry from his most fruitful season at Anfield, where he bagged 27 goals and 17 assists in 2017/18.

Mane, 31, is faring a bit better.

He has found the net 13 times and provided seven assists for his team-mates, linking up nicely with Ronaldo.

Other players such as Karim Benzema and Jordan Henderson – before he left for Ajax – have found it difficult to adapt to the conditions in Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, some have thrived. The likes of Odion Ighalo and Fashion Sakala have comfortably outscored Benzema, Mane and Firmino, leading the lines for lower-status sides.

Ronaldo has scored 50 goals for Al-Nassr since joining in January 2022 and leads the league’s scoring charts with 23 this season.