Surprise in Saudi Arabia: A. Postecoglou, who told C. Ronaldo the bitter truth, substituted the Portuguese after the break

2026-08-26 14:31 © Reuters

New Saudi Arabia champions "Al Nassr" coach Ange Postecoglou is trying various tactical tricks and so far everything is working out.

In the match against "Al Ettifaq", "Al Nassr" was trailing 0:2 and was even at a disadvantage after goalkeeper Bento received a red card. During halftime, the Australian strategist decided to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo and it paid off.

Even being a man down, "Al Nassr" managed to come back and win the match 3:2 after a brace from Sadio Mane.

The champion's coach A. Postecoglou's decision surprised the biggest fans of the Portuguese legend, but in the end, everything worked out, and after the match, the coach explained the situation.

"We needed to win. The defenders were paying a lot of attention to Cristiano, so after talking with him at halftime, I explained my reasoning for such a decision.

He always wants to help the team in any way possible. He is an incredible professional, so I am happy to coach him. He is not injured; it was just a tactical decision," said the Australian.