Cristiano Ronaldo stormed off the pitch at half-time before Al Nassr produced an improbable comeback in their latest outing.The Saudi Pro League champions recovered from 2-0 down to beat Al Ettifaq away from home on Tuesday night.Ronaldo was substituted at half-time after storming off the pitch against Al EttifaqXTheir victory came despite playing over 75 minutes with 10 men after goalkeeper Bento was sent off.A frustrating first half saw Ange Postecoglou’s side trailing by two goals at the break.Ronaldo was visibly angered as he left the field before being substituted ahead of the second half.The five-time Ballon d’Or winner threw his arms in the air and ripped off his captain’s armband as he headed down the tunnel.Postecoglou responded by withdrawing the veteran forward, who is planning to retire next summer, ahead of the restart.In Ronaldo’s absence, Al Nassr produced a late fightback with three goals in the final 20 minutes to snatch all three points.A brace from Sadio Mane either side of Abdulelah Al Amri’s equaliser was enough to see off a spirited Al Ettifaq.The result maintains Al Nassr’s 100 per cent record under Postecoglou as they remain top of the table after three matches.Postecoglou explains Ronaldo substitutionFollowing the match, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager addressed his decision to take Ronaldo off.Speaking to reporters, he admitted: “With Cristiano, we know he hasn’t played a lot of football.Postecoglou justified his decision to withdraw Ronaldo after Al Nassr’s comeback winAFP“So I think with 10 men to have him out there after 45 minutes, he did a great job for us in the first half.“But we needed a different approach in the second half and I try and help them, but it’s really the players.“The players are the ones who out there have the belief and the courage to still play.“You can see that in this humidity, how hard it is to run and keep having an effort and I thought the players were outstanding.”The match had been Ronaldo’s first start of the campaign and only his second appearance since the World Cup.He previously came off the bench to score against Al Riyadh on Friday.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwHowever, the 41-year-old missed each of his side’s opening two fixtures this term.Al Nassr on formDespite his absence, Al Nassr saw off both Al Fateh and Al Diriyah in the league and King’s Cup, respectively.Prior to Friday’s win, Ronaldo had not played competitively since Portugal’s round of 16 loss to Spain on July 6.He could make his second start of the season as soon as this Friday as Al Nassr host Al Taawoun.They currently sit two points clear at the summit of the Saudi Pro League, with four wins from four under Postecoglou in all competitions.The Australian was appointed on a two-year deal by the reigning champions in July.Ronaldo had made his first competitive start since July 6 on Tuesday nightAFPHis arrival followed the departure of title-winning boss Jorge Jesus at the end of last season.talkSPORT verdictAlan Brazil and Ally McCoist gave their own reactions to Ronaldo’s antics live on Wednesday’s talkSPORT Breakfast show.After hearing Postecoglou’s comments, McCoist responded: “He’s got to be like that, doesn’t he? He doesn’t want to slag off anybody.”However, Brazil saw the funny side, quipping: “Well, if he does slag him off then Cristiano just buys the club and sacks him.”McCoist then added: “The fact of the matter is, we’re making a big deal out of this because it’s Ronaldo.“It wouldn’t have mattered who he was taking off, if a person deserved to come off and you end up winning the game 3-2, it is the correct decision.”