Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal national team paid an emotional tribute to former teammate Diogo Jota after their 2-1 FIFA World Cup victory over Croatia in Toronto.
Following the final whistle, Ronaldo wore Jota’s Portugal No. 21 shirt and pointed towards the sky as he celebrated with teammates.
The tribute came one day before the first anniversary of Jota’s death alongside his brother, André Silva, in a car crash in Spain.
Speaking to Fox after the match, Ronaldo reflected on the significance of the occasion: “We knew it before the game, it was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable.”
He also told Sport TV: “We know he is present with us and it only made sense to win today to honor him in the best way.”
Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot after Ivan Perisic had given Croatia the lead, before Gonçalo Ramos scored a stoppage-time winner to send Portugal into the last 16.
Ramos later said: “Every day it’s special because we talk about [Jota] every day. He gives us strength and it’s very special to have won today and to have reached one of the most important phases of this competition.”