Published : 27 Aug 2026, 05:01 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
Cristiano Ronaldo reacted angrily after being substituted at half-time by Al-Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou, only to watch his 10-man side overturn a two-goal deficit to claim a remarkable 3-2 victory over Al-Ettifaq.
The Portugal star, making his first competitive start of the season, removed his captain’s armband and gestured in frustration as he headed towards the tunnel with Al-Nassr trailing 2-0 at the break, according to RTÉ.
Postecoglou replaced the 41-year-old with midfielder Abdullah Al-Khaibari for the second half, later explaining that Ronaldo’s lack of recent playing time and the circumstances of the match required a different approach.
“With Cristiano, we know he hasn’t played a lot of football,” the former Tottenham manager said.
“So, with 10 men to have him out there after 45 minutes — he did a great job for us in the first half — but we needed a different approach in the second half.”
Al-Nassr had been reduced to 10 men after only 12 minutes when goalkeeper Bento was sent off for a foul on Moussa Dembélé.
Al-Ettifaq capitalised through long-range goals from Ondrej Duda and Álvaro Medrán to take a 2-0 lead into the interval, leaving the defending Saudi Pro League champions facing a daunting task.
But the match changed dramatically in the closing stages.
Sadio Mané began the comeback in the 74th minute before Abdulelah Al-Amri equalised three minutes later.
Mané then completed the turnaround on 90 minutes, racing clear to score his second and seal an unlikely 3-2 victory for Postecoglou’s side.
The comeback was completed without Ronaldo, turning Postecoglou’s decision to withdraw his captain into one of the major talking points from the match.
The Australian coach, however, sought to shift attention away from the substitution and towards his players’ response to adversity.
“I think there’s a bigger story today and that is that 10 men of Al Nassr were unbelievable,” he said.
“From 2-0 down to come back, that’s the only story today.”
The win preserved Al-Nassr’s perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season, with the champions remaining top of the standings after three victories from three.
Ronaldo had sat out Al-Nassr’s first two matches of the season before returning as a substitute against Al-Riyadh, scoring after coming on. The Al-Ettifaq game was his first start of the campaign.
