Ronaldo reflects on Jota anniversary after Portugal beats Croatia

Cristiano Ronaldo said it was a "coincidence of life" that Portugal's Round of 16 victory over Croatia at the FIFA World Cup came almost exactly one year after the death of his late teammate, Diogo Jota.

Ronaldo and his teammates posed with Jota's No. 21 jersey after their 2-1 victory over Croatia, which secured Portugal's place in the Round of 16, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

"It's a coincidence of life. It's unbelievable," Ronaldo said.

"We knew before the match. It was such a special moment. Our group talked about it today—the coincidence of life. It's unbelievable."

Ronaldo also wore a No. 21 shirt during his post-match interviews in tribute to Jota.

Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed when their car crashed while the Liverpool forward was traveling through Spain on July 3 last year, on his way to England for pre-season training.

Earlier in the tournament, a black-and-white photograph of Jota was displayed on the giant screen at the stadium in Houston before Portugal's opening match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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