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Cristiano Ronaldo honored his late Portugal teammate Diogo Jota by wearing his jersey after their FIFA World Cup win against Croatia -Credit:Icon Sportswire, Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo donned a jersey displaying Diogo Jota's number to commemorate the first anniversary of his passing after Portugal's win against Croatia in the FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo and Goncalo Ramos netted the goals that secured a 2-1 win for Roberto Martinez's side, who weathered late tension when VAR stepped in to rule out what Croatia and Josko Gvardiol believed was a leveling goal.
As he and his teammates celebrated the result, Ronaldo wore a Portugal jersey bearing 21, the number Jota represented for his nation, before approaching the supporters, as per The Mirror.
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-Credit:Vaughn Ridley - FIFA, FIFA via Getty Images
He and the squad then raised the jersey high before the crowd in moving scenes in Toronto.
A photograph of Jota was also displayed on the large screen during the Portuguese national anthem before kickoff.
In a social media message accompanying an image of the players and Jota's jersey, Ronaldo posted: "We won for ourselves, for Diogo, and for Portugal! ! ! LET'S GO! ! ! !"
Friday represents one year since Jota tragically died at age 28 in a car crash alongside his younger brother, Andre Silva.
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The Liverpool forward had been driving to the Spanish city of Santander to catch a boat back to the UK with his younger brother, 25.
The Portugal team have worn wristbands throughout their World Cup run in honor of Jota, while his parents attended their opening match against DR Congo, where his photograph was also projected on the large screen.
Having beaten Croatia, Portugal now heads to the Round of 16, where they will face Spain on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They travel to the Lone Star State with Ronaldo having finally ended his World Cup knockout jinx, scoring his first-ever knockout stage goal on Thursday from the penalty spot.
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