Portugal left back Nuno Tavares insisted Diogo Jota will “always” be with the team after their first game since the Liverpool forward’s tragic passing this summer.
Jota died in a car accident alongside brother André Silva in July and emotions were high for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Armenia as the Portugal squad took to the pitch for the first time without Jota.
João Félix opened the scoring after 10 minutes before Ronaldo doubled Portugal’s lead 21 minutes in. He pointed to the sky in memory of Jota, who wore the No. 21 shirt with Portugal.
“We’re all very happy because it shows [Jota] is with us, that he was there, and that moment, Ronaldo’s goal, was made possible,” Tavares reflected on the moment.
“He’ll always be with us, as was clear today.”
João Cancelo netted Portugal’s third of the night and celebrated with Jota’s famous gamer pose, sitting on the pitch with an imaginary controller in his hands.
A stunning strike from range later on saw Ronaldo climb up to 38 goals in World Cup qualifying, two clear of career rival Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo now sits alone in second place on the all-time scoring charts but still needs one more to match the leading scorer in qualification history, Guatemalan legend Carlos Ruiz.
He will have the chance to break that record as early as Tuesday, when Portugal visit Hungary to close out the international break, and will hope to have done so by the end of October’s international period at the very latest.
Hungary are also on the fixture list next month, after a visit from the Republic of Ireland.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Always With Us’—Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal Stars Continue Diogo Jota Tributes After Emotional Win.