How Diogo Jota’s tragic death affects Al Hilal’s Club World Cup preparations

Al Hilal should be riding high after eliminating Manchester City in one of the Club World Cup’s great upsets. Instead, a wave of sorrow swept through their camp on Thursday as news broke of Diogo Jota’s death — deeply affecting Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves, two of his closest compatriots.

The Portuguese forward died alongside his younger brother Andre after their vehicle veered off a motorway in northern Spain and burst into flames. He was 28.

Jota’s passing has cast a shadow over Al Hilal’s preparations for Friday’s quarter-final clash against Brazilian side Fluminense. Cancelo, a Portugal international, and Neves, who shared a dressing room with Jota for both the national team and Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, were visibly shaken.

“We all know it’s a sad day because of what happened to Diogo and Andre. Unfortunately, these are things that shouldn’t happen, but they did,” said Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi.

“As we are all aware, we have two Portuguese players — Ruben Neves and Cancelo — who were very close to the guys. Clearly, today was a difficult day for everyone. We tried to work, but the atmosphere was not the same as on other days. It was a tragedy,” he added.

Al Hilal full-back Moteb Al Alharbi said the entire squad was united in supporting the Portuguese duo.

“From the moment we woke up today, we were shocked by the news. They are teammates of his and we all felt the sadness, but we were around them. I also believe they will be ready, although they’ve had this shocking news,” he said.

Saudi winger Khalid Al Ghannam added: “They were not at their best emotionally, but I believe they will be focused for the game.”

Whether Cancelo and Neves take the pitch or not, their team will carry a heavy heart into Friday’s match — a reminder that football, even on its biggest stages, is not immune to the pain of loss.

— With inputs from AFP