Former Celtic boss’ bold substitution sparks remarkable comeback win as Scotland ace caught in late crumble

Former Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou’s impressive start at Al-Nassr continued after a gusty substitution triggered a dramatic late turnaround in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.

Postecoglou, 60, was appointed as manager of Al-Nassr ahead of the new league season this summer, replacing title-winning boss Jorge Jesus, and has had a perfect start at Al-Awwal Park, winning all three of his opening league games. However, that run was severely tested on Wednesday night when the table toppers visited Al-Ettifaq.

Just 13 minutes into the clash, the visitors were dealt a hammer blow when goalkeeper Bento was shown a straight red card after he brought down former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele as he attempted to go round him clean through on goal, before they found themselves 1-0 down shortly afterwards.

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Postecoglou's decision to take Cristiano Ronaldo off at half-time raised eyebrows - but the manager was justified. | Getty Images

Al-Ettifaq, who had Scotland international Jack Hendry at centre-back, went ahead through Slovakian midfielder Ondrej Duda when his right-footed shot from outside the box squirmed past substitute goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Otaibi. Things went from bad to worse for Postecoglou’s side deep into first-half injury time when Alvaro Medran’s long-range effort found the top corner to double their lead at the break.

Trailing at half-time and down to ten men, Postecoglou made the brave decision to substitute Portugal icon and Al-Nassr’s star man, Cristiano Ronaldo, bringing on Abdullah Al-Khaibari to shore up the midfield. The 41-year-old footballing icon looked visibly frustrated with his manager’s decision, holding his arms out in dismay as he trudged towards the dugout after being replaced.

However, the Australian head coach was vindicated when his side got back into the game through former Liverpool man Sadio Mane. The 34-year-old striker reduced the deficit with just 15 minutes remaining, placing home from close range. Postecoglou’s side then remarkably levelled the score through captain Abdulelah Al Amri just three minutes later, with the Saudi centre-back bulleting home Joao Felix’s in-swinging corner.

Scotland international Jack Hendry suffered a late defeat at the hands of Al-Nassr. | Getty Images

The game then completely flipped on it’s head in the final minute of the game, with Senegalese superstar Mane at the centre of the action once again when he escaped the offside trap and finishing home calmly beyond Turki Ba Al Jawsh to hand his side an unlikely 3-2 victory.

Following the game, Postecoglou explained his reasoning for taking off Ronaldo, saying: “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. He performed exceptionally well in the first half, and we opted for a different approach.”