The first game on the Anfield Road since the death of Diogo Jota has once again triggered grief and deep sympathy at Liverpool FC.
Before the double test against Athletic Bilbao on Monday, representatives of both clubs resigned wreaths with persistent applause. Fans held the banners, scarves and flags with the port of Portuguese professional’s portrait, and they sang the song that they had once devoted to Jota for minutes. A particularly emotional “You’ll Never Walk Alone” followed.
Captain Virgil van Dijk described his feelings in the stadium booklet. “It is still a bit surreal,” wrote the Dutchman, “but as a team we deal with it as best. It was strange to continue with our work, football. This includes taking care of the bereaved: “The family’s pain is unimaginable.”
Two games should be followed by the Basques, for Liverpool it is the last tests before the game for the Community Shield (Supercup) against cup winner Crystal Palace on Sunday in Wembley. The first game began in the evening with a 1B team without the top-class Bundesliga access Florian Wirtz (from Bayer Leverkusen) and Hugo Ekitiké (by Eintracht Frankfurt). It was interrupted in the 20th minute for a minute of commemoration – Jota had worn the number 20, the club will no longer be awarded it.
Diogo Jota and his younger brother André Silva died in a car accident in Spain on the night of July 3. They were 28 and 25 years old.