Merih Demiral's Fierce Reaction After Al-Ahli's Defeat

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

Al-Ahli had just fallen 3-2 to Al Qadsiah on Tuesday night, a wild game that saw Demiral and his defence picked apart and Tijjani Reijnders walk away with the headlines and the man-of-the-match award after scoring twice. For Al Qadsiah, the victory meant more than three points: it pulled them level at the top of the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal.

Their celebrations did not stop on the grass.

On X, Al Qadsiah’s official account pushed the rivalry a step further. The club posted a photo of Demiral staring down at a phone, paired with a caption that read: “As always, you can find the pain of defeat on his account.”

The message landed exactly where it was aimed.

Demiral saw the post and, according to reports, marched straight into the Al Qadsiah dressing room after the match, demanding to know who ran the account. The 28-year-old centre-back insisted on an apology and pressed for the post to be taken down. The image and caption were eventually removed.

It was not the first time the former Juventus defender had reacted fiercely in the wake of an Al-Ahli loss. In April, after Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr proved too strong, Demiral again showed his edge. Furious after that defeat, he went to social media himself, posting two photos of his AFC Champions League medal with a pointed line: “For the first time, they are seeing a Champions League medal in their stadium.”

In a league increasingly driven by star power and online noise, Demiral is making sure that when the final whistle blows, the fight does not always end at the touchline.