Players, staff, and fans from Liverpool and Preston North End came together to honor Diogo Jota during their preseason friendly on Sunday, after the sad loss of the Portuguese forward.
Liverpool won the match with a score of 3-1, which was their first game since the tragic death of Jota, who was just 28 years old, along with his brother André Silva, who was 25. Both tragically died in a car accident near Zamora, Spain on July 3.
In a very emotional moment, Preston’s captain Ben Whiteman placed a wreath in front of Liverpool’s traveling fans, leading to a heartfelt singing of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before the game started. The teams then took the field wearing black armbands and held a touching minute of silence to remember the brothers.
Preston also made a special matchday program to show how important this game was. Out of respect, Liverpool has retired Jota’s No. 20 jersey.
Some senior Liverpool players, like Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, who went to Jota’s funeral in Portugal last week, were not in the matchday squad as they focus on getting fit for the upcoming Premier League season. They watched the game from the stands at Deepdale.
Mohamed Salah was the captain for Liverpool, and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez all made their first appearances for the club.
Goals from Conor Bradley, Darwin Núñez, and Cody Gakpo secured a well-earned win for Liverpool, with Núñez copying Jota’s video game celebration after scoring in the 53rd minute.
As the match ended, Liverpool’s players and coaches came together in front of the away fans, who passionately chanted Jota’s name.
Before the game, Liverpool’s coach Arne Slot shared that the team has been struggling to get back to their usual routine after Jota’s death. He urged his players to remember their late teammate by showing his amazing spirit.
“First of all, this has really affected us, but nothing can compare to the pain felt by his parents, his wife Rute, his kids, and the rest of his family,” Slot said. “The first feeling we all have is deep sadness. After that, there’s a sense of pride. I think his parents and Rute can be very proud of both the player and the person he was—especially the person. I’ve talked to many of his teammates and staff, and they all think very highly of him, often mentioning how kind he was. He always stayed true to himself. They should and will feel a great sense of pride if they could hear the nice things his teammates and the staff say about him.
“Secondly, I believe our fans can be very proud of the players we have at this club.
“They saw our team win the league, which was an amazing achievement, but what they showed in the past week with their togetherness and how they acted during our time in Portugal was really impressive. The fans couldn’t have asked for more from our players in terms of their character and kindness.
“These are the emotions. Of course, the first feeling of sadness is much stronger than the pride we feel. But both feelings can exist at the same time.” Slot stressed the importance of his players finding joy in playing football again as the team and staff deal with their grief.
“Nothing seems to matter when we think about what has happened. But we are a football club, and we have to train and play again, whether we want to or not,” Slot said.
What I’ve told the players can also be expressed here. It’s really tough to express the right feelings, given that we regularly discuss what’s acceptable. What decides if our actions are suitable? Which words connect with us? Can we practice again? Is it possible to find joy once more? Is it okay to feel anger over an unjust decision?
“I told them, ‘maybe the best way for us to deal with this situation is to follow Jota’s lead.’ What I wanted to say is that Jota was always real, whether he was with me, his teammates, or the staff; he was always truthful. So, let’s also try to be ourselves. If we want to laugh, let’s laugh; if we need to cry, we should do that. If they want to train, they can; if they don’t, that’s their choice. But most importantly, be true to yourself, and don’t feel like you have to hide your feelings.
“Also, Jota was the player I counted on during hard times, saying, ‘Now we need something special from you.’ He always stepped up when it mattered. I can remember many times, even before I got here, when he showed what he could do. Right now, we are going through a really tough time, so let’s try to show Diogo’s determination. When we face challenges, let’s either push ourselves a little more or just hang in there and try to make it work.
