Chelsea received a pass to the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals on Friday night as Pedro Neto performed a sensational show in honor of his friend and Portuguese teammate Diogo Jota.
Portuguese stars Ruben Neves and Joao Cuttaro shed tears in the moment of silence until al-Hilal beat Fluminense this week, and some may question why Jota and his brother and his brother Andre Silva were quickly selected so soon after.
After the Liverpool star and his brother died in a car accident in Spain’s province of Zamora this week, his colleagues chose to take their only knowledge – by doing themselves and what they love, his colleagues chose to pay tribute to him.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca revealed before clashing with Palmeiras that the decision of the game will be retained to Neto only by Neto: “It’s sad. We’re all close to Pedro. It’s his decision. I’m chatting this morning. Any decision he made is right.”
The Portuguese winger not only shared an international locker room with Jota, but also played with Wolves in the 2019/20 season, and started the game in Philadelphia and wore a shirt to honor Jota and Silva.
His decision was certainly correct, as Blues was won by a late goal by Agustín Giay, while Neto was a star performer.
The 25-year-old completed six of his nine dribbling, won eight of 11 duels and created two opportunities in the diligence and creative performances his friends would be proud of.
|
Pedro Neto |
VS Palmeiras |
|---|---|
|
minute |
87 |
|
touch |
41 |
|
pass |
17/21 |
|
cross |
2/4 |
|
Dribble |
6/9 |
|
duel |
8/11 |
Maresca has since revealed a touching message he conveyed before the Chelsea squad, as the situation can only be described as an incredible personal display.
“I just said to the players that this win was especially because we knew how close he was [with Jota] and the efforts he made. ”
The Italian isn’t the first manager to speak in a tragic event, and perhaps the most touching comment comes from legendary Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, who told Sky Sports: “When people leave the world, we usually say ‘Such a good guy. Diogo is really a good guy.”
He added: “It happened to me many years ago when I was working in Porto with Mr. Robson. One of our boys, a boy in love, died in a car accident.
“The boy who suffered pain alone was like that group suffered hardships and tried to fight for his memory. It was a boy Rui Filipe and we were champions, I think for he. At Liverpool, they will suffer together. ”
The funeral of the two brothers will be held on Saturday, July 5.
