Merih Demiral's Frustration After Al-Ahli Loss

Merih Demiral left the pitch beaten. He did not leave it quietly.

Al-Ahli had just lost 3-2 to Al Qadsiah on Tuesday night, a result that dragged them deeper into frustration and pushed their opponents level at the top of the Saudi Pro League alongside Al-Hilal. Tijjani Reijnders, with two goals and the man-of-the-match award, had done the damage. Demiral, the 28-year-old centre-back brought in as a defensive pillar, could not stop the tide.

The final whistle did not end his ordeal.

Social media spark

While Al Qadsiah celebrated a statement win, their official X account chose a different angle. A photo of Demiral looking at his phone appeared on the feed. The caption twisted the knife: “As always, you can find the pain of defeat on his account.”

For a player already seething from the defeat, it was a public taunt too far.

Demiral saw the post. The reaction was immediate and explosive. According to reports, he stormed into the Al Qadsiah dressing room after the game, not looking for a player or a coach, but for the club’s social media administrator.

He demanded an apology. He demanded that the post be taken down. Eventually, it was removed.

A pattern of fury

This was not the first time Demiral’s temper had flared after a setback in Saudi Arabia.

Back in April, after Al-Ahli fell to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, the former Juventus defender again refused to swallow defeat quietly. In the aftermath, he took to social media himself, posting two photos of his AFC Champions League medal.

“For the first time, they are seeing a Champions League medal in their stadium,” he wrote, a pointed reminder of his own pedigree amid the sting of another loss.

Demiral’s fire is part of what made him attractive to Al-Ahli in the first place. The question now is whether that same edge will drive a response on the pitch, or keep exploding in dressing rooms and on screens as the title race tightens at the top of the Saudi Pro League.