Demiral's Fury After Al-Ahli Loss to Al Qadsiah

Merih Demiral left the pitch beaten. He left the stadium furious.

The Al-Ahli centre-back was already seething after a chaotic 3-2 loss to Al Qadsiah on Tuesday night, a defeat he could not prevent and one that saw Tijjani Reijnders walk away with man of the match after scoring twice. Then came the final insult — not on the grass, but online.

Al Qadsiah’s official X account posted a photo of Demiral staring at a phone, paired with a cutting caption: “As always, you can find the pain of defeat on his account.”

That was enough.

The 28-year-old Turkish defender saw the post and, according to reports, stormed into the opposition dressing room in search of the Al Qadsiah social media administrator. He demanded an apology and insisted the mocking post be taken down. The message was eventually deleted.

Tension at the top

The result itself carried weight. With the win, Al Qadsiah pulled level at the top of the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal, a statement victory that sent their players and fans into full celebration mode. The mood spilled onto social media, where the club’s gloating crossed a line for Demiral.

For him, it was not just about three points dropped. It was about pride, about being singled out as the face of the defeat.

A pattern of fury

This is not the first time Demiral has reacted badly to a setback in Saudi Arabia.

Back in April, after Al-Ahli lost to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League, the former Juventus defender again let his emotions show. He responded by posting two photos of his Champions League medal, pointedly writing: “For the first time, they are seeing a Champions League medal in their stadium.”

The message was clear then, and it remains clear now: Demiral does not take defeat lightly — on the pitch or on the timeline.