Ronaldo Substituted at Halftime as Al Nassr Secures Dramatic Win
Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted at halftime in Al Nassr's match against Al-Ettifaq on August 25, 2026. This was his first start under new coach Ange Postecoglou. Despite playing with 10 men, Al Nassr overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. Sadio Mane scored twice, including the winning goal. Al Nassr now has 9 points from 3 matches.
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In a surprising turn of events, Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted at halftime during Al Nassr's match against Al-Ettifaq on August 25, 2026. This marked Ronaldo's first start under new coach Ange Postecoglou. The decision to replace Ronaldo with Abdullah Al Khaibari at halftime came after a challenging first half for Al Nassr.
Al Nassr faced an uphill battle early in the match as their goalkeeper, Bento, was shown a red card in the 12th minute. The team was left with 10 men. Al-Ettifaq capitalized on this advantage, leading 2-0 at halftime.
Ronaldo's substitution reportedly sparked an angry reaction from the star player. However, the change proved strategic. Al Nassr mounted a comeback in the second half. Sadio Mane, who had a goal disallowed by VAR in the 53rd minute, eventually scored his first goal for the club in the 74th minute. Just three minutes later, Al Amri equalized. A thrilling finish.
Mane secured the victory for Al Nassr by scoring the decisive goal in the 90th minute. He completed a remarkable turnaround. Despite being a man down, Al Nassr's determination saw them prevail 3-2.
With this victory, Al Nassr has accumulated 9 points from their first three matches of the season. The team is set to face Al-Taawon on August 28, where both Al Nassr and Ronaldo will aim to continue their winning streak.
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