When Portugal steps on to the pitch at Toronto's BMO Field Thursday night for their World CupRound of 32 matchup against Croatia, they will do so with an extra man in their presence.

At the time of kick off, the date will be July 3 in Portugal, which will mark one year since the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who were killed in a car crash when their Lamborghini went off the road in northern Spain.

"So many [motivations to win the match], and there's yet this additional factor, this special day, we have all the motivation, for ​our families, for Diogo Jota, for the whole country, for the whole of Portugal," said defender Vitinha of via Reuters.

Jota made 49 appearances for Portugal and scored 14 goals. He was a valued member of the squad, helping his country to UEFA Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025 — the last coming weeks before his death. He only missed out on the 2022 World Cup due to an injury.

There have been tributes at Liverpool, Jota's club team, andacrossthe soccer worldoverthe past year. Luís Montenegro, Portugal's Prime Minister, gifted the players wristbands that feature Jota's name. Manager Roberto Martínez named him as an honorary member of the World Cup squad.

Maja Hitij - FIFA via Getty Images

Before their opening match in Houston against DR Congo, a tribute took place with Jota and Silva's parents, Isabel and Joaquim Silva, in attendance.

Midfielder Rúben Neves told Portuguese TV show, external Alta Definicao that that the squad's WhatsApp group still contains Jota and his wife, Rute Cardoso. It's a way for Neves and his teammates to continue speaking to their fallen teammate.

"I still talk to him," Neves said. "Whenever something special happens, I have the conversations archived on my WhatsApp so I can continue to send him messages."

As Portugal begins knockout round play, Jota will have his memory carried by his teammates.

"I think we need to honor Diogo Jota," Martinez said on Saturday. "I think it's a moment to cherish that everything we started in this team started with him. We won the Nations League with him. He's probably the sign and the light of the biggest stimulation that we have. We want to win the World Cup for him."

Erling Haaland's 86th-minute goal was the difference as Norway knocked out Ivory Coast with a 2-1 win during Tuesday's World Cupround of 32 action.

The goal was Haaland's fifth of the World Cup, which puts him in a tie for the Golden Boot with Argentina's Lionel Messi. He now has scored in each of his last 13 international matches for Norway.

Norway looked to have had the game in control after Antonio Nusa opened the scoring in the 39th minute. Martin Ødegaard found Nusa with space on the side of the Ivory Coast penalty box seven minutes before halftime. Nusa then took on Nicolas Pépé and after a pair of feints quickly curled a shot around goalkeeper Yahia Fofana and into the back of the net for the lead.

According to Squawka, the setup makes Ødegaard the first player to record assists in three straight World Cup matches since Dirk Kuyt of the Netherlands in 2010.

Not satisfied with one, Norway had two more chances in the waning minutes of the opening half, but both Haaland and Alexander Sørloth could not capitalize on their respective opportunities.

As Ivory Coast pushed for an equalizer, Norway had opportunities of their own to add an insurance goal. Torbjørn Heggem had a point-blank chance in the 67th minute off a corner kick that was cleared off the goal line by Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo.

Diallo would make an impact at the other end of the field minutes later. The Ivory Coast winger played a give-and-go with Pépé as they approached the Norway penalty box and weaved his way through the backline before firing a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland.

The euphoria from the Ivory Coast side would last all of 10 minutes.

In the 86th minute, Oscar Bobb found Patrick Berg cutting through to the Ivory Coast penalty box. Berg's touch took him to the outside, but he adjusted and sent a pass across to find an unmarked Haaland, who tapped the ball into the wide-open net.

The win was the first-ever for Norway in a World Cup knockout round. They advanced out of their group in their last appearance in the tournament in 1998, but were eliminated by Italy in the Round of 16 under the old format.

Norway now moves on to face Brazil on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.