Toronto, July 3 -- Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo paid an emotional tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota by holding up Jota's No. 21 Portugal jersey after his side secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday (local time), sealing qualification for the Round of 16.

The tribute came on the first anniversary of Jota's death, with Ronaldo visibly emotional after the final whistle. The Portugal captain held up the No. 21 jersey in honour of the former Liverpool forward, while his teammates joined him in remembering one of Portugal's most admired footballers.

Portugal had also paid tribute to Jota before kickoff, with a photograph of the late striker displayed inside the stadium...