Nearly a year after former teammate Jota's death, C. Ronaldo pays tribute with No. 21 jersey post-match

2026 World Cup Key News

(CNA Toronto, July 2) - Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo said that Portugal's victory over Croatia today to advance to the Round of 16 was a "coincidence of life" as it was nearly a year since his former teammate Diogo Jota passed away. He wore Jota's No. 21 jersey for interviews after the match.

According to AFP, after Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates narrowly defeated Croatia 2-1 today to help Portugal advance to the World Cup Round of 16, they took a commemorative photo holding Jota's No. 21 jersey.

Ronaldo said, "It's a coincidence of life, unbelievable. We knew before the game. It's a very special moment. The whole team talked about it today, a coincidence of life, truly unbelievable."

After the match, Ronaldo also wore the No. 21 jersey for his interview.

Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez said the victory held special significance.

He said, "Today is a very happy day for Portuguese fans because we advanced to the next stage, into the top 16, and also because this match has meaning. It's been a year since we paid tribute to Jota."

On July 3 last year, Jota, who played for Liverpool, died in a car accident with his brother Andre Silva while driving in Spain, as he was preparing to return to England for pre-season training.

Earlier in this tournament, before Portugal's first match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, a black and white photo of Jota was shown on the giant screen at the stadium in Houston, USA. (Translated by Zhang Xiaowen) 1150703

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