Chelsea and Palmeiras observed a period of silence in honour of Diogo Jota ahead of kick-off in Friday night’s FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final in Philadelphia.
The game took place around 48 hours after Liverpool star Jota and his brother Andre Silva had died in a car crash in northern Spain.
Pedro Neto had been a team-mate of Jota at international level with Portugal and they also previously played together at Wolves. The pair were understood to have formed a close friendship over the years.
Neto held up a Chelsea shirt printed with the names of Diogo and Andre as both sets of players lined up around the centre circle ahead of Friday’s game. The 24-year-old looked visibly emotional and appeared to be fighting back tears during the moment of silence.
Former Wolves ace Neto was named in Chelsea’s starting XI after manager Enzo Maresca told reporters earlier in the day that the winger would be given the choice over whether he wanted to play following the devastating news of his friend’s death. Neto decided to feature and played until the 86th minute before being replaced by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Chelsea went on to win the match 2-1, booking their place in the semi-finals despite a moment of brilliance from their future star Estevao Willian.
Estevao, who will complete his move to Stamford Bridge later this month, gave Chelsea fans a glimpse of what to expect when he scored a stunning equaliser against them in the 53rd minute.
The 18-year-old collected a pass inside the box with a sharp touch on his left foot, beat Levi Colwill, and smashed a shot in off the crossbar at Robert Sanchez’s near post from a tight angle.
That goal cancelled out Cole Palmer’s opener for the Blues, who had fired them ahead on 16 minutes.
But Chelsea eventually prevailed courtesy of a late own goal by Agustin Giay in the 83rd minute, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
Estevao, who has dazzled in Brazil’s top flight with Palmeiras and is considered one of the hottest prospects in world football, was seen applauding the Palmeiras supporters at full-time. He will join a growing South American contingent at Chelsea that includes Andrey Santos, Joao Pedro, Moises Caicedo, Kendry Paez and Enzo Fernandez.
Chelsea will now face Fluminense in East Rutherford on Tuesday for a place in the final.
