The Portuguese international, who came back from a 12-month layoff to make his competitive debut for the club, flared off his bench at half-time of Tuesday’s epic 3-2 victory over Al-Ettifaq in a huge manner that made Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr drama one of the top stories of the match.
Ronaldo made his debut appearance of the Saudi Pro League season for Al-Nassr, his night though ended with a twist when Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento was sent off in the 12th minute. He was replaced by Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi but the 18-year-old keeper could not deny Al-Ettifaq’s dominance.
Ondrej Duda scored the first goal before Alvaro Medran hit the hosts’ lead with a late double just before the break. Ronaldo was clearly displeased when the goalkeeper missed the long-range shot on the second goal, as he gestured towards Al-Otaibi.
Al-Nassr’s captain was then changed at the break with Ange Postecoglou replacing him with Abdullah Al-Khaibari. Ronaldo did not look happy about it, dropping his captain’s armband and making make as he headed towards the dressing room.
The ruling was a blow, however to the Al-Nassr side. The visitors came through in the second half, up against 10 men. Sadio Mane had two goals, one at the very end, to make it 3-2.
Postecoglou defended the decision to remove Ronaldo, saying that he felt the players coming in could make a bigger impact in those circumstances. The manager also cited the lack of preparation time Ronaldo has had this season.
The incident has since sparked criticism on social media, with some fans wondering about Ronaldo’s response to Al-Otaibi’s errors. But the long-serving forward was not to blame as Al-Nassr bounced back without him to keep their perfect league start.
