Al-Hilal secured a 2-1 victory over Al-Gharafa in the opening League Phase match of the AFC Champions League at Kingdom Arena on Tuesday. Both sides went down to ten men in quick succession, with Crysencio Summerville and Ismaël Bennacer sent off in the 32nd and 33rd minutes respectively. The match was decided by two goals in the second half, with Rúben Neves converting a penalty just before the break and Hassan Aladin striking late to seal the result.
Neves' spot-kick came in 45+3 minutes after Al-Gharafa's defensive structure began to fracture under pressure. The hosts had already established superiority in territory, registering 120 attacks compared to 52, while their 68 per cent possession allowed them to camp in the final third. By then, the game had shifted to a different shape entirely, with both teams reduced to ten men and space opening up in midfield.
Al-Hilal created three big chances and recorded 7 shots on target against Al-Gharafa's 3, though their expected goals of 1.8 suggests they could have done better with the dominance they enjoyed. The visitors managed just 0.48 expected goals from limited opportunities, their 2 corners and 7 crosses failing to trouble the Al-Hilal defence. It was a case of many shots with one goal going begging for Al-Gharafa, who had to work harder but rarely found the right areas.
Four substitutions were made by Al-Hilal around the hour mark, bringing on Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, Yusuf Akcicek, Saimon Bouabre and Nasser Al-Dawsari. Sergej Milinković-Savić added a second goal in the 72nd minute before being replaced himself in the 90th minute. The late winner from Aladin in 90+2 minutes closed the game out, leaving Al-Hilal sitting fourth with three points from one match.
Al-Gharafa's defeat leaves them in 12th place with no points, while the hosts have one foot in the next round after their opening victory. The result follows a mixed run for Al-Hilal, including a 6-0 win over At-Taawoun and a 0-2 loss to Al-Suqour in their previous outings. Al-Gharafa had shown resilience in draws and losses, but this match exposed the gap between the two sides when reduced to ten men.
