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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo paid an emotional tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota by holding up Jota's No. 21 Portugal jersey after his side secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday (local time), sealing qualification for the Round of 16.
The tribute came on the first anniversary of Jota's death, with Ronaldo visibly emotional after the final whistle. The Portugal captain held up the No. 21 jersey in honour of the former Liverpool forward, while his teammates joined him in remembering one of Portugal's most admired footballers. Portugal had also paid tribute to Jota before kickoff, with a photograph of the late striker displayed inside the stadium during the pre-match ceremonies. Throughout the tournament, the Portuguese squad has carried Jota's memory, with manager Roberto Martinez naming him an honorary member of the World Cup squad and several players dedicating the campaign to him. Jota and his brother Andre Silva lost their lives in a car crash in northwestern Spain on July 3, 2025, after their Lamborghini left the road and caught fire. The tragedy sent shockwaves across the footballing world, with clubs, teammates, supporters and football associations paying tribute to the Portugal international following his untimely demise. On the field, Portugal recovered from an early setback to register a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32. Substitute Goncalo Ramos emerged as the match-winner by heading home a stoppage-time goal to send Roberto Martinez's side into the Round of 16. Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country's all-time leading World Cup scorer, before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot after a VAR review. Croatia had two goals ruled out for offside, including a late equaliser deep into stoppage time, as Portugal held on to set up an all-Iberian Round of 16 clash against Spain. The match also marked the end of Luka Modric's potential World Cup career. (ANI)
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