Andy Robertson delivered a deeply emotional tribute to his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota after Scotland sealed automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
Scotland triumphed 4-2 over Denmark on a dramatic night at Hampden Park. Steve Clarke’s men took the lead twice through Scott McTominay and Lawrence Shankland, only for Rasmus Hojlund and Patrick Dorgu to pull Denmark level. The Danes went down to 10 men in the second half when Rasmus Kristensen received a second yellow card.
In stoppage time, Kieran Tierney produced a stunning 20-yard curler to send Scotland to the World Cup. Moments later, Kenny McLean — who had come on in the first half — scored from the halfway line after Kasper Schmeichel pushed forward for a late Danish set piece.
Speaking to BBC Scotland after the match, captain Robertson struggled to hold back his emotions as he honoured Jota, who tragically died in a car accident in Spain in July.
“I think I’ve hidden it well, but today I’ve been in bits,” he admitted. “With my age, this might be my last chance at a World Cup. I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head. We always talked about this tournament when we both missed out on Qatar — him through injury, me because Scotland didn’t qualify.”
“We dreamed about going to the next World Cup together. I know he’ll be smiling over me tonight. I was struggling in my room earlier today, but I tried to keep it together for the boys. I’m just so glad it’s ended like this.”
Jota had been set to represent Portugal at the 2022 World Cup but was ruled out with a calf injury.
Tragically, he and his brother Andre Silva lost their lives in a car crash in Zamora, Spain, on July 3 while travelling back to England for pre-season. Spanish authorities reported that their Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout, veered off the road, and caught fire.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot later confirmed that the club honoured the remaining two years of Jota’s contract, which would have run until 2027, and paid the balance to his family.
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