BERN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Sadness and celebration went hand in hand when a minute's silence in honour of Portuguese international Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who were killed in a car accident on Thursday, gave way to a celebration of life and football as Portugal took on Spain at the Women's Euros.
Though the usual ear-splitting pre-game music thundered from the speakers, there was an unmistakable pall of grief in the stadium as Portuguese fans clutched signs paying tribute to the 28-year-old and his brother, the simplest of them summing up the feelings of the football world: "Thank you, Diogo Jota".
"We've lost one of our own. He was someone who followed the Navegadoras (Portuguese women's team) closely. We're deeply saddened – there aren’t many words. All we can say is that he will never be forgotten," Portugal coach Francisco Neto said.
Packed behind one of the goals, the Portuguese fans roared through an impassioned rendition of their national anthem before honouring the brothers with an impressive minute of complete calm ahead of kick-off, with fans holding up letters spelling out "Rest in peace, Diogo Jota" in Portuguese.
Speaking to reporters on the way in to the stadium, the president of the Portuguese parliament JoseAguiarBranco said the country would honour the pair for their contribution to the sport.
"Tomorrow in the Assembly of the Republic, we will vote on the motion of condolence that I will present in order to honour the memory of these two young people and also the legacy that they leave to national sport," he said.
The Portuguese fans broughtthe minute's silence to a respectful end with a ripple of applause that quickly spread around the ground, and on a dark day for football, they then burst into song as the game kicked off, clapping, drumming and cheering on the players wearing the shirt that Jota proudly wore on 49 occasions.
The fact that Spain scored in the second minute did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm -- for Portugal's football fans, this night will be remembered for something much, much more than just football.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; editing by Clare Fallon)
