The 2025 Club World Cup Is Difficult For Cancelo And Neves After Diogo Jota's Death

JAKARTA - Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi admitted that Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo found it difficult to prepare for the 2025 Club World Cup quarter-finals against Fluminense after the death of a teammate in the Portugal National Team, Diogo Jota.

The Liverpool forward died in a car accident in Spain, Thursday, July 3, 2025, early in the morning local time, along with his brother who is also a footballer, Andre Silva.

Neves and Cancelo representing the Portugal national team with Jota were notified of the news while preparing for Al Hilal in the United States to face Fluminense in the 2025 Club World Cup quarter-finals in Orlando, Saturday, July 5, 2025, early morning WIB.

"We all know this is a very sad day because of what happened to Diogo and Andre."

"Things like this should never have happened. We are all aware of this tragedy. We have two Portuguese players, Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, who are Jota's friends."

"Today was a very difficult day for all of us. We tried to work the same way, but the atmosphere was different."

"This is a very, very sad tragedy," Inzaghi said at a press conference on Thursday, July 3, 2025, local time.

Cancelo is one of a number of team-mates who uploaded a tribute to Jota after the news.

"Today, we didn't just wake up without two players. Today, three kids wake up without their dad. Today, a mother and a father wake up without their two sons."

"Today, a wife wakes up without her husband by her side. Today, we all wake up shockedly," Cancelo wrote on social media.

Al Hilal and Fluminense will face off in the only quarter-finals that do not involve the European team. The Brazilian team reached the last eight by beating domestic rivals Botafogo in the round of 16.