By Ashley Pemberton
A minute’s silence will be observed at the women’s Euros matches tonight and tomorrow in tribute to tragic Liverpool star Diogo Jota , Uefa have confirmed. The Portuguese forward died at just 28 in a horror crash in Spain on Thursday morning, just days after marrying childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso in their hometown of Porto. Portugal will play their first Women’s Euro 2025 match tonight against group B rivals Spain in a match that takes on added poignancy after Jota’s heart-breaking death. Uefa said in a statement: “On behalf of the European football community, we are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota, Portugal international and Liverpool FC forward, along with his brother Andr茅 Silva. “Our thoughts are with their family, friends, teammates and all those affected by this heart-breaking loss. “A moment of silence will be observed at all of today鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 UEFA Women鈥檚 EURO 2025 matches in memory of Portugal international and Liverpool FC forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andr茅 Silva who tragically passed away today.” Jota was a key player at Liverpool and helped the Reds lift the Premier League trophy in May, the club’s 20th league title. Heart-warming photos show him with his family and the trophy on the Anfield pitch. A Premier League spokesman said he was a “champion who will be forever missed” in a tribute issued on Thursday. The statement read: “Everyone at the Premier League is shocked and devastated to learn of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre. “Our sincerest condolences go to Diogo鈥檚 family, friends, Liverpool FC, and all their supporters at this heart-breaking time. Football has lost a champion who will be forever missed. We will continue to support our friends and colleagues at the club.” Former Wolves ace Jota was capped 49 times by his nation and the Portuguese Football Federation said he was an “extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates”. In a tribute, the federation said: “He had a contagious joy and was a reference point in his own community. On behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation and myself, I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Diogo and Andre, as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the respective clubs of the players. 鈥淭he Portuguese Football Federation has asked UEFA to hold a minute鈥檚 silence ahead of our national team鈥檚 match against Spain in the Women鈥檚 European Championship on Thursday. 鈥淲e have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day.鈥 Jota and brother Andre, 26, were killed after their car ran off the road and caught fire, authorities said. The Zamora Provincial Council posted on Facebook that the fatal accident took place on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria, in the Spanish province of Zamora, which borders Portugal, at 12.40am local time. In a statement, the authority: 鈥淎 vehicle ran off the road and caught fire, which spread to the surrounding vegetation. The fire was put out by the fire brigade, which worked with health services and the Guardia Civil. 鈥淯nfortunately, medics were only able to confirm the death of two young men, aged 28 and 26. From the Zamora Provincial Council and the Provincial Consortium we express our condolences to the families of the victims and thank all those involved for their work.鈥