Portugal Honours Diogo Jota After Dramatic World Cup Win Over Croatia

Portugal marked the first anniversary of Diogo Jota’s death with an emotional tribute after sealing a dramatic 2-1 World Cup win over Croatia to book a last-16 meeting with Spain.

As the final whistle sounded, captain Cristiano Ronaldo pulled on a special shirt bearing Jota’s number 21 before he and his teammates gathered on the pitch, raising it high in memory of the late forward.

Earlier, supporters inside the stadium in Toronto applauded as Jota’s image appeared on the giant screen during the closing moments of the Portuguese national anthem. Ronaldo, who shared the pitch with Jota 32 times for Portugal, looked visibly emotional.

“Diogo is our sun and our light,” said Portugal manager Roberto Martinez before the match, having named Jota as an honorary “plus-one” player when he unveiled his World Cup squad in May.

“We want to win the World Cup for him,” he added.

Friday marked one year since Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in a car crash in Spain on 3 July 2025.

The Liverpool forward, aged 28, died just 11 days after marrying his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso.

Naija News reports that Jota had been travelling back to Liverpool for pre-season by car and ferry after doctors advised him against flying following minor surgery. His Lamborghini reportedly left the road after a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle.