Joao Neves dedicated his first World Cup goal to his late mother after scoring the opener in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Houston.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder headed home Pedro Neto’s cross inside the opening six minutes, then pointed to the sky in celebration, a gesture he explained afterwards.
“There was my family and my girlfriend in the stands but my mother was missing,” Neves said. “I know she’s always with me, that’s why I raised my fingers to the sky. My first goal is for her.”
Neves lost his mother to cancer in February 2024 while he was still at Benfica, and has spoken about carrying her memory into major moments since.
Portugal next face Uzbekistan on Tuesday in their following Group K fixture.
