Video: After two red cards and heated clashes: Al-Hilal begin their Asian campaign with a thrilling win over Al-Gharafa

Al-Hilal edged a thrilling 2-1 win over visitors Al-Gharafa at Kingdom Arena tonight, kicking off their AFC Champions League Elite campaign in style.

Ruben Neves broke the deadlock from the penalty spot deep in first-half stoppage time, three minutes into added time.

Al-Gharafa pushed for an equaliser after the break. Al-Hilal remained the sharper side, though, and wasted a string of clear openings.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic doubled the lead in the 73rd minute, rising to meet a Neves cross with a fine header.

Alaeddine pulled one back in the second minute of stoppage time, lashing home a superb effort from outside the box that beat Yassine Bounou.

Victory hands Al-Hilal their first three points and lifts them to third in the standings. Al-Gharafa sit 14th, still without a point.

Trouble flared in the 23rd minute, when Al-Hilal's Crysencio Summerville clashed with Ismael Bennacer, who was making his Al-Gharafa debut.

It started when Summerville grabbed Al-Gharafa's Abdulrahman Al-Rasheedi by the shirt and shoved him hard, dumping him to the ground off the pitch.

Players rushed in to separate the pair. Bennacer then yanked Summerville by the head, and violent clashes broke out between the two sides.

The referee showed Summerville a straight red card, then returned to brandish the same to Bennacer once things had settled.