Merih Demiral Reacts to Al Qadsiah Taunt After Defeat

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

Al-Ahli had just lost 3-2 to Al Qadsiah on Tuesday evening, a wild game that saw Demiral and his defence breached three times and Tijjani Reijnders walk away with man of the match after scoring twice. The result dragged Al Qadsiah level with Al-Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League and sent their dressing room into celebration.

Their social media team joined in. Then crossed the line.

On X, Al Qadsiah’s official account posted a photo of Demiral looking at a phone, paired with a taunting caption: “As always, you can find the pain of defeat on his account.” It was a direct shot at the 28-year-old Turkish centre-back, and he did not shrug it off.

He saw it. And he reacted.

Demiral reportedly stormed into the Al Qadsiah dressing room after the match, looking for the person behind the post. Witnesses described him demanding an apology and insisting the image and caption be taken down. The message was clear enough: mock the result, not the player.

The club’s administrator eventually removed the post.

The anger was not entirely out of character. The former Juventus defender has shown before that he does not take defeat lightly. In April, after Al-Ahli lost to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Demiral’s frustration spilled over in a different way. He posted two photos of his AFC Champions League medal and wrote: “For the first time, they are seeing a Champions League medal in their stadium.”

On the pitch, Demiral is expected to marshal a back line. Off it, he is increasingly finding himself in the middle of the Saudi Pro League’s growing mix of football, pride and social media needle.