Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo were seen fighting off tears during the moment of silence held in memory of Diogo Jota ahead of their Club World Cup quarterfinal against Fluminense on Friday.
The emotional tribute came just a day after news broke of the tragic deaths of Portugal international and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Filipe, in a car accident in Spain. The two were killed when their Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout on the A-52 highway in Zamora, veered off the road, and caught fire.
Emergency services confirmed that both men died at the scene. The accident occurred only ten days after Jota’s wedding to his long-time partner, Rute Cardoso, in Porto.
seeing cancelo and ruben neves. oh my word. i’m actually broken ??
pic.twitter.com/pCug2oPW4j— | (@APxLFC) July 4, 2025
The pre-match silence in Orlando, Florida, was observed across the stadium, with visibly affected players and fans paying their respects. Neves and Cancelo, both visibly emotional, stood still on the pitch as the tribute unfolded, their grief mirrored by millions watching across the world.
Al Hilal lose to Fluminense
Once play began, Fluminense advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Al Hilal, thanks to a late winner from substitute Hercules. It was his second goal in as many second-half appearances in the tournament.
Fluminense took the lead in the 40th minute through Martinelli, whose excellent first touch from Gabriel Fuentes’ pass set him up to blast a left-footed shot past Yassine Bounou from 15 yards out. The Saudi club, however, found a way back just after the break.
After Kalidou Koulibaly’s header from a corner landed at his feet, striker Marcos Leonardo leveled the score in the 51st minute with a composed close-range finish. It was Leonardo’s fourth goal of the tournament, stepping up in the absence of Aleksandar Mitrovic.
But it was Hercules who had the final say. In the 70th minute, after his initial shot was deflected, he kept running and capitalised on a second opportunity. Samuel Xavier’s header found him just outside the box, and Hercules controlled it brilliantly before driving a low shot into the bottom left corner, sparking wild celebrations from a largely pro-Brazilian crowd.
Al Hilal pushed hard in the closing minutes but couldn’t find an equaliser, bringing their impressive run to an end. The Saudi side had earlier shocked the world with a dramatic 4-3 extra-time win over Manchester City in the second round, but their journey ends in the last eight as the final Asian representative.
Fluminense will now face Chelsea, who beat Palmeiras in the second quarterfinal in Philadelphia later on Friday.
– Ends