On his debut: Liverpool's shock places Jayssle in the jaws of Al-Ahly's fans
A major blow
Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle United debut descended into controversy. His side let a near-certain win slip away, settling for a 2-2 draw with Liverpool on the opening weekend of the Premier League, and the result opened the door to a fierce backlash from Al-Ahli Saudi fans against their former coach.
Newcastle led until the sixth minute of stoppage time. Then Liverpool won a penalty, Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and converted it, and the equaliser stunned the hosts in the dying moments amid fury and disbelief inside the stadium.
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Jaissle and his technical staff protested repeatedly through the game, and the fans reacted furiously to the decisions and events on the pitch. The most striking scene, though, played out on X, where Al-Ahli fans seized on the draw to renew their attack on the German coach.
Supporters had not forgotten that Jaissle walked away from Al-Ahli just days before the season began, a decision that angered a wide section of the fanbase. He had been one of the pillars of the project that carried "Al-Raqi" to the AFC Champions League Elite crown and the Saudi Super Cup.
Conceding in the final seconds handed Al-Ahli fans fresh ammunition to mock their former coach. Some argued that Jaissle's Newcastle start had been far from ideal, and that the way his side threw away two points on his debut confirmed the very fears that surrounded his exit from Jeddah.
This was only Jaissle's first match with Newcastle, yet Al-Ahli fans treated the result as a chance to answer the coach's decision. He had chosen the Premier League over another season in charge of "Al-Raqi".
One match is far too little to judge Jaissle's Newcastle project. His side produced good spells against Liverpool and came close to a big win. But the last-gasp draw dragged his start straight under the spotlight, while Al-Ahli fans kept venting their anger at his departure in a way that shows no sign of stopping.
