Ruben Neves scored and assisted for Al Hilal just days after suffering abuse in a Saudi Pro League match as his side overcame stiff resistance from Al Gharafa to emerge 2-1 winners in their opening AFC Champions League Elite match on Tuesday.
Neves was the subject of taunts from Al Taawoun fans over the death of his former friend and teammate Diogo Jota during Al Hilal's 6-0 SPL win at the weekend. But the midfielder was instantly back to his best as he inspired a winning start to Hilal's Asian campaign.
Seeking a fifth Asian title, Simone Inzaghi’s side got the start they wanted but not before fiery opening which saw both sides go down to 10 men.
Al Gharafa took the game to Al Hilal in the opening minutes as Yassine Bounou was forced to make saves to deny Adam Ounas and Jang Hyun-soo.
Al Hilal worked their way into the game with Gabriel Martinelli having an effort from an acute angle saved by Ahmed Kone before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic nodded over unchallenged from a good position.
The game took a turn in the 32nd minute when Crysencio Summerville was shown a red card for shoving Abdulrahman Al Rasheedi, but in the heated exchange, Ismael Bennacer was also sent off for tugging at the Al Hilal forward’s hair.
Al Rasheedi was involved again when he tripped Saimon Bouabre in the box, gifting Al Hilal a late first-half penalty which Neves nervelessly slotted home in the third minute of added time.
Al Hilal continued to test Kone’s reflexes after the interval with Neves, Martinelli and Bouabre all having a go but the Al Gharafa keeper stood strong to keep the Qatari side in the game.
Maintaining sustained pressure, it was no surprise when the second goal arrived in the 72nd minute, Neves delivered a perfect cross to the back post for Milinkovic-Savic to power home from close range.
Al Gharafa struck in stoppage time through a spectacular Alaaeddin Hasan strike from outside the box, but it was nothing more than a consolation with the final whistle blowing seconds after the restart.
A tough test awaits Al Hilal next in the ACL when they face another Qatari side in Al Sadd on October 13, while Al Gharafa will count on home advantage when they host Iran's Esteghlal.
Taawoun hit with stadium ban
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee on Tuesday ordered Al Taawoun to play their next two home Saudi Pro League matches behind closed doors and fined the club 100,000 riyals ($26,660) after supporters chanted the name of the late Portugal forward Diogo Jota during Saturday's match against Al Hilal.
The sanctions stem from an incident involving Al Hilal midfielder Neves, a close friend and former teammate of Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain last year alongside his brother Andre Silva. Neves was among the pallbearers at Jota's funeral.
Videos circulated on social media appeared to show sections of the crowd chanting “Jota” during Al Hilal's 6-0 win over Al Taawoun. Neves reacted by pointing to his eye and then towards the sky before saying after the match: “I hope they don't go to pray afterwards.”
The chants sparked widespread criticism, including from Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who urged authorities to take strong action.
Al Hilal said it had filed a complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, describing the chants as offensive and unacceptable, while Al Taawoun condemned the behaviour and said it did not represent the club or its supporters.
