Ronaldo fumes after being subbed off in Al

Al-Nassr, down to ten men and without Cristiano Ronaldo for the second half, fought back to claim a 3-2 win over Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.

Trailing 2-0 at the break, Al-Nassr boss Ange Postecoglou substituted Ronaldo at the interval, much to the annoyance of the Portuguese star who was making his first competitive start since his country's loss to Spain in the round of 16 at the World Cup.

In an eventful encounter, Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento received his marching orders on 12 minutes, with Al-Ettifaq then finding the net courtesy of goals from Ondrej Duda and Alvaro Medran. The sound of the half-time whistle saw Ronaldo remove his captain's armband, while angrily gesticulating as he walked down the tunnel.

He would not appear for the second 45, with Postecoglou refusing to indulge reporters as to why he subbed the 41-year-old, instead saying: "I think there's a bigger story today, and that is that ten men of Al Nassr were unbelievable. That's all you should write about today, everything else doesn't matter."

Al Nassr's revival came after a three-goal salvo in the final 15 minutes, with Sadio Mane netting a brace and defender Abdulelah Al Amri also on the scoresheet.

Earlier this month, Ronaldo has suggested this will be his last year of football, stating that he wants to "leave a spectacular legacy".

"This is probably my last year of football," he told Vogue.

Ronaldo, whose Al Nassr contract runs until June 2027, previously has stopped short of giving a timeline of when he'd be ready to call an end on his career.

"I have my future all mapped out," he added. "I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard.

"Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one. And also have more fun, travel more, watch and play padel, which I really like, and continue to enjoy what I've earned - what we've earned.

"Because after all it's been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice."

A five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo started his career at Sporting CP before competing with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

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