Portugal’s World Cup victory over Croatia ended with more than celebration.

After a dramatic 2-1 win, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates gathered to honour Diogo Jota, the former Portugal forward who died one year ago in a car accident in Spain.

It was a powerful moment on a night already filled with emotion. Portugal had survived a tense knockout match, but once the final whistle had gone, the focus briefly shifted from the result to the memory of a teammate still deeply present within the squad.

A shirt held high

According to TV 2, Ronaldo was visibly moved as Portugal paid tribute to Jota after the final whistle.

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The Portugal players wore or displayed a home shirt carrying Jota’s number 21, turning the post-match scenes into a quiet act of remembrance.

According to AS, the players and coaching staff also posed on the pitch with one of Jota’s shirts, both before and after the match, in what the Spanish outlet described as a spectacular tribute on the anniversary of his death.

Jota died on July 3, 2025, alongside his brother André Silva after a traffic accident in Spain. He was 28.

An anniversary that shaped the night

The timing gave the tribute added weight.

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Although the match itself was played on July 2 in Toronto, the date had already turned to July 3 in Portugal, marking exactly one year since the news that shook Portuguese football.

According to beIN Sports, Jota was remembered through visible gestures inside the stadium and by an emotional Portuguese squad.

Ronaldo later appeared with Jota’s number 21 shirt as he spoke after the match.

“I was amazed because the situation of the day, it means a lot to us, not only because we won the game but because of the way we did it,” Ronaldo said, according to The Guardian.

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A win with deeper meaning

Portugal’s victory came in dramatic circumstances.

Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perišić, before Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot. Gonçalo Ramos then scored the decisive goal in added time, sending Portugal through and ending Croatia’s campaign.

But the emotional centre of the night came after the game.

For Portugal, Jota’s memory has remained part of the team throughout the tournament. AS reports that Roberto Martínez symbolically included Jota in the squad list, while his name has also appeared on stadium screens in Portugal’s line-ups during the competition.

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That made the tribute after the Croatia match feel less like a single gesture and more like part of a continuing promise.

Portugal moved on in the World Cup, but they did so carrying the memory of a teammate who never got the chance to play in one.

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