Cristiano Ronaldo reflected on the poignant timing of Portugal’s World Cup last-16 win over Croatia, calling it a “coincidence of life” as it came nearly a year after the death of his late teammate Diogo Jota.
After Portugal advanced to the round of 16 with a thrilling 2-1 victory against Croatia, Ronaldo and his teammates posed with Jota’s number 21 jersey.
“The coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable. We knew it before the game. It was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about that, the coincidence of life. It’s unbelievable,” AFP quoted Ronaldo as saying.
For the interviews after the game, Ronaldo also donned a number 21 jersey.
According to Portugal’s coach Roberto Martinez, the win held particular significance.
“For Portuguese fans this is a very happy day and also because of the meaning of the game, we’ve moved to the next phase, to the round of 16. In a year where we honored Diogo Jota.”
On July 3 of last year, while traveling through Spain to return to England for preseason training, Jota and his brother Andre Silva perished in a car accident.
Prior to Portugal’s opening match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier in the tournament, a black and white photo of Jota was displayed on the enormous screen at the Houston stadium.
