Cristiano Ronaldo was taken off at half-time with his 10-man Al-Nassr side 2-0 down – before they fought back to seal a dramatic win over Al-Ettifaq.<\/p>\n
Defending Saudi Pro League champions Al-Nassr got off to a dreadful start on Tuesday when goalkeeper Bento was sent off after just 12 minutes and they were two goals behind at the break.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo, 41, making his first start since the World Cup, left the pitch in frustration at half-time and was then substituted by manager Ange Postecoglou. <\/p>\n
But Postecoglou’s decisions proved to be vindicated with Al-Nassr launching a second-half comeback.<\/p>\n
Sadio Mane and Abdulelah Al Amri scored inside three minutes to draw Al-Nassr level with 13 minutes to go, before former Liverpool forward Mane got the winner in added time.<\/p>\n
The win helped Al-Nassr go top of the table after three straight victories this season.<\/p>\n
Former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss Postegoclou said Ronaldo, who spread his arms in a questioning gesture towards the bench when he was substituted, was taken off as part of a different tactical approach.<\/p>\n
“When I made the substitutions, including taking Ronaldo off, I believed the players coming on could make an impact,” Postecoglou said.<\/p>\n
“I came here to help the players, so as I said, I’m proud of them because every substitute made a positive contribution.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Postecoglou took over at Al-Nassr last month after being sacked by Forest last October following just 39 days in charge.<\/p>\n