Ronaldo displeased at being subbed as 10 man Al Nassr stage comeback
Cristiano Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure after being hauled off at half time, but his substitution ultimately paid off as 10 man Al Nassr fought back from two goals down to beat Al Ettifaq 3-2 in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday.
Making his first start of the season after featuring for Portugal at the World Cup, Ronaldo left the pitch visibly unhappy at the break, removing his captain's armband and gesturing towards the bench before disappearing down the tunnel.
Al Nassr had endured a disastrous opening to the match, reduced to 10 men inside 12 minutes when goalkeeper Bento was sent off for bringing down Moussa Dembele outside the box. Abdulrahman Al Otaibi came on as his replacement but struggled badly in the sticks.
Ondrej Duda put Al Ettifaq ahead in the 31st minute after Al Otaibi misjudged a long range effort, before Alvaro Medran doubled the lead deep into first half stoppage time with another shot that squirmed through the stand in goalkeeper's hands.
New head coach Ange Postecoglou made the bold call to withdraw his captain for Abdullah Al Khaibari at the interval, a decision that transformed the contest. Sadio Mane pulled one back in the 74th minute, latching onto a beautifully weighted pass from Joao Felix before finishing low.
Abdulelah Al Amri levelled matters just three minutes later, rising to head home another Felix delivery from a corner, before Mane completed the turnaround deep into stoppage time, racing through one on one to seal a stunning victory for the league leaders.
Postecoglou defended his decision to remove Ronaldo, praising the character shown by his side despite playing most of the match a man down. "I'm proud of the players despite the high humidity, difficult conditions, the team being a man down, and being behind in the score. In the second half, we showed courage, and I'm happy for them," he said.
"When I made the substitutions, including taking Ronaldo off, I believed the players coming on could make an impact. I came here to help the players, so as I said, I'm proud of them because every substitute made a positive contribution," Postecoglou added.
He also addressed Ronaldo's withdrawal directly. "I'm here to help the team with what I see, and everyone knows that Ronaldo hasn't played in a long time. He performed exceptionally well in the first half, and we opted for a different approach. My credit goes entirely to the players who delivered a fantastic performance in these conditions," he said.
While his teammates celebrated wildly with supporters after the final whistle, Ronaldo was notably absent from the scenes, his frustration overshadowing what was otherwise a memorable comeback for the club.
The result extended Al Nassr's perfect start to the campaign to three wins from three matches, sending them top of the table under Postecoglou, who took charge last month having previously been sacked by Nottingham Forest in October after just 39 days in the job.
Ronaldo, a five time Ballon d'Or winner, married his partner Georgina Rodriguez earlier this month and has suggested this could be his final season as a player, with the 41 year old increasingly looking to prioritise time with his family.