An hour before kick-off for Portugal’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 group stage match against Spain and eyes begin to gravitate towards Wankdorf Stadium’s west stand and a large piece of cardboard fastened to the bottom of the upper stand.
“You took the name of Portugal beyond borders,” it reads in earnestly sprawled black marker ink. “Now it’s our turn to raise your name.”
The placard’s unfurling was silent yet arresting, much like the news it was in response to: Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva’s, 26, tragic passing in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning in Spain.
In the fading afternoon heat, a small group of Portugal fans walked to Bern’s northern flank in mini-pilgrimage, hoisting placards as tribute to Jota and Silva, chanting their names into the sky. If the day was not poignant enough, the evening’s match-up against Spain added further texture, with the Porto-born forward’s last career game coming against Spain in the men’s Nations League final earlier this summer.
As kick-off beckoned, more placards appeared. The teams emerged from the tunnel wearing black armbands. The minute’s silence was adhered to with reverence, then broken into loaded, rapturous applause.
Behind Ines Pereira’s goal, Portugal fans held aloft a series of cards spelling out the message: “Descansa Em Paz Diogo Jota” (rest in peace Diogo Jota), before chanting his name once again. The effect was that the Wankdorf transformed momentarily into a place of communion.
Portugal fans displayed their love for Diogo Jota throughout the game (Sebastien Bozon/Getty)
In these moments of subtraction, there is a desire to see life give back. But 90 seconds later, Spain’s Esther Gonzalez flitted in behind Portugal’s high defensive line, taking down a raking pass from left-back Olga Carmona with her shoulder before bundling the ball beyond Pereira. Five minutes later, 19-year-old Vicky Lopez poked home a low driven cross from Mariona Caldentey.
Portugal were always going to struggle, as most pre-tournament predictions forecasted. The reigning world champions had inflicted a 7-1 defeat on Portugal in April. Two months later, Spain played with the same sublime majesty, tangling Portugal’s defence into desperate ribbons and their attack into a non-event.
By half-time, the scoreline read 4-0, goals from Alexia Putellas and Gonzalez arriving in the final minutes of the first half. Portugal, meanwhile, failed to register a single shot or corner, with a total of two touches in Spain’s box, and eight passes completed in Spain’s half. By full time, Portugal managed seven shots at goal, one on target.
“This is life,” was the assessment of one Portugal fan before kick-off following the news of Jota and Silva’s passing. The appraisal was not crude, but rather honest and profound. The passing of those young and outward-facing has a habit of pausing life as the rest of us reflect on our own mortality. But then a game of football must be played, a goal scored, then one, two, three, four more, life carrying on.
“Today is a really sad day because two of us lost our lives, so young,” said Portugal head coach Francisco Neto after his side’s 5-0 defeat. “This is not a good day. If we had the possibility to change everything, we would.”
Portugal’s players and staff observe a minute’s silence (Aitor Alcalde/Getty)
There is pride to be taken here for Portugal, to not only show up but keep running, chasing, scrapping against the tournament favourites who resisted any impulse to let up due to circumstances. So too is pride owed to Portugal’s fans, who continued to chant throughout it all, red and green flags aloft, the beat of a lone drum imbuing the 29,000-plus in attendance with an unceasing rhythm as those in Portugal colours hoped for something bordering on miraculous from this match.
With 75 minutes gone, it looked like Portugal, whose second-half display was marginally more competitive, might get a sliver of one, only for Ana Capeta to sky her shot from inside the box. A handful more chances came, none taken. And still, Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege.
Cristina Martín-Prieto made it 5-0 in added time, but one Portuguese fan’s placard caught the eye. It read “Muito mais que futebol” (“much more than football”). And as Portugal players broke from their post-match huddle to applaud the travelling supporters, who in turn presented them with a large black banner bearing Jota’s name, its message felt all the more prescient for a nation whose football teams run through it like a main artery.
When asked about Jota in his post-match press conference, Neto took a moment to compose himself. His path first crossed Jota’s in the national team’s under-19s. From there, their paths continued to intersect with Jota following the women’s national team with an ardent zeal.
“He always knew the results, followed the players,” Neto said. “This is the culture we have in Portugal, what we’re building inside our federation and our country.”
(Top photo: Manuel Winterberger/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
