The tragic death of Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre in a car crash has deeply affected players and coaches at the Club World Cup. Chelsea's Pedro Neto and Al-Hilal's Portuguese duo Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves, who were Jota's national teammates, are struggling with the loss ahead of their quarter-final matches.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said they will let Neto decide if he wants to play against Palmeiras. "It is completely Pedro's decision," Maresca said. "I had a chat this morning with Pedro. Any decision he takes is the correct one and we will support him."
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The accident happened Thursday when Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva's vehicle went off a motorway in northern Spain and caught fire. Neto, who has been impressive with three goals in the tournament, had played alongside Jota for both Portugal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
At Al-Hilal, coach Simone Inzaghi noticed how the news hit his team hard, especially Cancelo and Neves. "Clearly today was a difficult day for everyone. We tried to work but clearly, the atmosphere today was not the same as other days. It was a tragedy," Inzaghi said.
The Saudi team is trying to support their Portuguese players through this tough time. Al-Hilal's Moteb Al Alharbi shared how the team rallied around them: "From the moment we woke up today we were shocked by the news. They are team-mates of his and we all felt the sadness but we were all around them."
Teammate Khalid Alghannam added: "They were not at their best emotionally but I believe they will be focused for the game."
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