TORONTO, July 2 (Reuters) - When Portugal beat Croatia in a scintillating World Cup game in Toronto, they were playing for something bigger than themselves - they were playing for Diogo Jota.
After the final whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo led his team on an emotional walk towards the Portugal fans wearing Jota's jersey number 21. It was a fitting tribute to a player who has meant so much for Portugal and whose memory the team has carried throughout this tournament.
Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car crash in northwestern Spain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames on July 3 last year, an incident that plunged Portugal into grief and sent shockwaves around the football world.
Jota's close friendRuben Neves, the Portugal midfielder, now wears the number 21 for the national team. He kissed a wristband bearing the Liverpool forward's name as he stood for the anthem at the end of which Jota's image was cast on the big screen, drawing cheers from every corner of the stadium.
Ronaldo took to Instagram after the game as he held the shirt for a group picture with the team. The message read: "We won for us, Diogo and Portugal!"
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, who has described Jota as "our light" and named him an honorary member of the World Cup squad, said his team's performance showed what the player meant for his team.
"Several beautiful symbols of power and energy and what Jota meant for the team. He was someone who believed, and we have (a) responsibility for Diogo and we are going to keep doing this," he told reporters.
The fans at the stadium did their part too.
When the clock hit the 21-minute mark, they got up from their seats and unfurled a banner with his image and balloons that said 21.
In the end, if there was one player on the pitch who may have personified the livewire that Jota was in the dying minutes of the game, it was Goncalo Ramos. His goal sealed the team's spot in the last 16.
"We talk about him every day. He gives us strength," Ramos said.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Toronto, additional reporting by Divya RajagopalEditing by Christian Radnedge)
