Al Hilal Defeats Al Gharafa in AFC Champions League Match Marked by Red Cards

Al-Taj News – Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Qatar’s Al Gharafa in the AFC Champions League Elite.

Kingdom Arena Stadium in Riyadh hosted the Al Hilal and Al Gharafa match as part of the first round of the West Region group stage in the league phase.

The match saw two red cards in the space of one minute following fierce clashes between Al Hilal and Al Gharafa players on the pitch.

The referee showed a red card to Dutchman Crysencio Summerville, the Al Hilal player, after he pushed one of Al Gharafa’s players. Algerian Ismaël Bennacer, the Al Gharafa player, was also sent off for pulling Summerville’s hair after a VAR review.

Al Hilal opened the scoring through Rúben Neves in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, while Savic doubled the lead in the 72nd minute. Al Gharafa reduced the deficit through Alaa Al-Din Hassan in the 90+2nd minute.

Al Hilal earned its first three points in its AFC Champions League campaign, while Al Gharafa remains without any points.