Ten-Man Al-Nassr Rally Past Al-Ettifaq After Ronaldo Substitution

Al-Nassr recovered from a first-half red card and a two-goal deficit to beat Al-Ettifaq 3-2 in a dramatic Saudi Pro League match on Tuesday. BBC Sport reported that the defending champions lost goalkeeper Bento to a dismissal after only 12 minutes and reached halftime trailing 2-0, leaving Ange Postecoglou’s team facing the entire second half with 10 players.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, had been making his first start since the World Cup, according to the BBC report. He left the field showing frustration at the interval and was then substituted by Postecoglou. Ronaldo also spread his arms in a questioning gesture toward the bench, making the halftime decision a prominent part of a match that soon changed sharply in Al-Nassr’s favor.

The response arrived late in the second half. Sadio Mane and Abdulelah Al Amri scored within three minutes of each other to level the match with 13 minutes remaining. Al-Nassr continued to press despite their numerical disadvantage, and Mane struck again in added time to complete the comeback and secure all three points.

Postecoglou said afterward that his substitutions, including Ronaldo’s removal, reflected his belief that the players entering the match could make an impact. The coach said every substitute contributed positively. He also noted that Ronaldo had not played for a long period, while describing the forward’s first-half performance in strong terms and explaining that Al-Nassr chose a different tactical approach after the break.

The victory moved Al-Nassr to the top of the Saudi Pro League table after three consecutive wins to begin the season. Their perfect start has therefore continued through a match in which they played most of the contest a player short and had to erase a two-goal deficit after halftime.

The result also delivered an early landmark in Postecoglou’s tenure. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest manager took charge of Al-Nassr last month, BBC Sport reported. Forest dismissed him last October after 39 days in the job. His latest team’s comeback was driven by the halftime changes and capped by Mane’s decisive second goal in stoppage time.