Postecoglou substitutes Ronaldo as 10-man Al-Nassr fight back to beat Al-Ettifaq

Ange Postecoglou substituted Cristiano Ronaldo at half-time as Al-Nassr recovered from 2-0 down to beat Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday, completing a dramatic second-half turnaround. The match saw Al-Nassr reduced to 10 men early on and produce three points that moved them to the top of the table after three straight league wins this season.

Al-Nassr's problems began when goalkeeper Bento was sent off after just 12 minutes, leaving the defending Saudi Pro League champions to play the remainder of the match a man short and trailing by two goals at the interval. Ronaldo, 41, was making his first start since the World Cup and left the pitch in frustration at half-time before manager Ange Postecoglou replaced him. Postecoglou had been appointed last month after being sacked by Forest last October following just 39 days in charge.

The response from Al-Nassr arrived early in the second half as Sadio Mane and Abdulelah Al Amri scored inside three minutes to pull the visitors level with 13 minutes remaining. Former Liverpool forward Mane then produced the decisive goal in added time to complete the comeback and secure the win for Al-Nassr.

Postecoglou defended his substitutions after the match, saying: "When I made the substitutions, including taking Ronaldo off, I believed the players coming on could make an impact," and adding: "I came here to help the players, so as I said, I'm proud of them because every substitute made a positive contribution." He also said: "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."

Ronaldo reacted visibly when he was withdrawn, spreading his arms in a questioning gesture towards the bench as he left the field at half-time. The substitution followed a first half in which Al-Nassr had been unable to recover from the early red card and the two-goal deficit they faced at the break.

The victory lifted Al-Nassr to the top of the Saudi Pro League table after their third consecutive league win of the season. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo married his partner Georgina Rodriguez earlier this month and has said this is likely to be his last season as a player so he can focus more on his family.