Cristiano Ronaldo fumes as Ange Postecoglou subs him – but ex-Tottenham boss masterminds amazing comeback

CRISTIANO RONALDO was fuming with Ange Postecoglou after subbing him off for Al-Nassr – but his decision was justified following their comeback win against Al-Ettifaq. Al-Nassr completed a stunning turnaround to beat their rivals 3-2 after going 2-0 down with ten men. Cristiano Ronaldo was seething after being hooked by Al-Nassr boss Ange Postecoglou Credit: X The forward, 41, held his arms out after being brought off at half time with Al-Nassr 2-0 down Credit: X Former Tottenham boss Postecoglou – who only took over the Saudi side last month – took the very bold move of hooking the legendary forward at half time. Ronaldo, 41, was visibly angry with the Australian’s decision and was seen shrugging and holding out his arms as he trudged towards the dugout. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! But Postecoglou knew he needed a quick response after Ondrej Duda and Alvaro Medran had put the hosts into a commanding lead. Al-Ettifaq had capitalised on Al-Nassr keeper Bento being sent off after just 12 minutes. Ronaldo was already fuming with the team’s back-up goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi for his mistake in fumbling Medran’s shot for 2-0. At half time, Postecoglou opted to bring on midfielder Abdullah Al-Khaibari instead of ex-Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo as he looked to shift the momentum. His changes didn’t have an immediate impact as he later introduced Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Sami Al-Najei. But in the 74th minute Al-Nassr pulled one back through ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane, before Abdulelah Al-Amri made it 2-2 three minutes later. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK And in stoppage time, Mane raced clear before calmly slotting home to seal their comeback win. Postecoglou defended his decision to sub off the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after the game and said he was simply looking for “a different approach”. He said: “When I made the substitutions, including taking Ronaldo off, I believed the players coming on could make an impact. “I came here to help the players, so as I said, I’m proud of them because every substitute made a positive contribution. “I’m here to help the team with what I see, and everyone knows that Ronaldo hasn’t played in a long time. But Postecoglou’s decision was justified as his side completed a 3-2 comeback with ten men Credit: Reuters Postecoglou defended his decision and said his team needed a ‘different approach’ Credit: Reuters “He performed exceptionally well in the first half, and we opted for a different approach.” This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has reacted poorly to being substituted in his career. He stormed down the tunnel after being hooked by ex-boss Stefano Pioli during a win over Al-Kholood in March 2025. And Ronaldo also fumed at ex-Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick for subbing him during a win over Brentford in January 2022. Ronaldo threw his jacket while sitting on the bench and was accused of being “too emotional” by Rangnick. Comment now