Ronaldo Substituted at Halftime as Al Nassr Secures Dramatic Win

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.