Al Hilal beat Al Gharafa in fiery AFC Champions League Elite opener

Al Hilal began their AFC Champions League Elite campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al Gharafa in a match that featured two red cards and a serious on-field confrontation at Kingdom Arena.

Ruben Neves put the Saudi side ahead in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, converting a penalty to give Al Hilal the lead just before the interval.

Al Gharafa pushed for an equaliser after the restart, but Al Hilal created the more dangerous opportunities and missed several chances to extend their advantage.

The hosts eventually doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed in a cross from Neves with a well-taken finish. The goal was recorded as coming in the 72nd minute in the match broadcast.

Al Gharafa reduced the deficit in the second minute of added time through Alaa Al-Din Hassan, whose outstanding effort from outside the penalty area gave Yassine Bounou no chance.

The result gave Al Hilal their first three points of the competition and placed them third in the AFC Champions League Elite standings. Al Gharafa remained without a point in 14th place.

The game was overshadowed by an incident in the 23rd minute, when Al Hilal forward Crysencio Summerville became involved in a confrontation with Ismael Bennacer, who was making his first appearance for Al Gharafa.

The trouble began when Summerville grabbed Al Gharafa player Abderrahman Al-Rashidi by the shirt and pushed him forcefully, sending him to the ground outside the field of play.

As other players intervened, Bennacer pulled the Al Hilal player sharply by the head, after which a heated confrontation broke out between members of both teams.

The referee initially showed Summerville a straight red card. Once the situation had calmed, he also dismissed Bennacer with a direct red card.

Despite being reduced to 10 men following the incident, Al Hilal maintained control for long periods and appeared on course for a comfortable victory after Milinkovic-Savic’s goal. Alaa Al-Din Hassan’s late strike ensured a tense finish, but Al Gharafa could not find an equaliser.