First anniversary of the crash that killed Diogo Jota on a Zamora road | OneFootball

Portugal beat Croatia to reach the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Their progress, sealed in a gripping finish, came in the early hours that marked the first anniversary of Diogo Jota’s death in a road crash in Zamora.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, after the final whistle the night turned into a tribute. A visibly emotional Cristiano Ronaldo carried Jota’s shirt and pointed to the sky, saying the team felt his presence and that winning was the right way to honour him.

Jota died aged 28 on the A-52 near Cernadilla, in Palacios de Sanabria, Zamora. His brother André, 26, a Penafiel footballer, also lost his life.

The Lamborghini they were travelling in left the carriageway after a tyre burst, then caught fire. Saving the two was impossible despite the rapid response by firefighters from Rionegro del Puente and the work of medical teams on the A-52 in Sanabria.

Jota was enjoying a peak moment, having married 10 days earlier. That year he lifted the Premier League with Liverpool and the UEFA Nations League with Portugal.

A year ago Ronaldo lamented his team-mate’s death in a post on X, calling it senseless. He sent condolences to Jota’s family, wife and children, and said Diogo and André would be missed and would remain with them.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo