'It was meant to be' - Emotional responses pour in after Ruben Neves dedicates first-ever Portugal goal to best friend Diogo Jota and shares heartwarming new tattoo

Ireland had kept Portugal out for 90 minutes of their World Cup qualifier in Lisbon and looked as if they would snatch a point. The Portuguese frontline had made a mess of the few clear-cut chances they had created and the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva were left to strike tame efforts from range. No matter what Portugal threw at the Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, they could not find a way through.

Their luck appeared to have turned when Francisco Trincao, who changed the game off of the bench for Portugal, had an effort flick the arm of Dara O’Shea and were given a fortuitous penalty. However, Cristiano Ronaldo’s subsequent effort was stopped by the feet of the Brentford goalkeeper and the game remained goalless.

At least until the 91st minute, when, racing through into the box, Neves met a floated cross from Trincao ahead of Kelleher. The Al-Hilal midfielder glanced his header past the arm of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to ensure Portugal maintained their perfect record in qualification.

The goal meant so much to Neves. His first in a Portuguese shirt, but also Portugal’s first home game since Jota died. Neves ran off to the corner in celebration, kissing his shirt number, before pointing to the sky and pulling down his left sock to reveal a tattoo of him and Jota together.

Just when Portugal had appeared out of answers, Neves stepped up to provide a winner and was able to dedicate it to his best friend.

Football fans rushed to social media to share in the celebrations and tributes to Jota. On X, @Plaantik described Ruben Neves, Portugal's new number 21, heading home the winner as "poetic."

Their thoughts were shared by numerous other fans. One user, @thescreenlad, was amazed by Neves' late winner and declared: "It was meant to be!"

A Neves fan account, @RubenNevesHQ, tweeted, "THIS ONE WAS FOR YOU. JOTA".

Meanwhile, @NoodleHairCR7, took the time to appreciate the special moment in the sport. "Ruben Neves scores the winning goal in the 91st min wearing Diogo Jota number 21 and kisses the number. Football," they said.

Jota remains in the hearts and minds of millions of football fans around the world, with @TheChamp_Stand sharing a close up of Neves' tattoo, captioning the post: "Forever remembered. Ruben Néves gets a tattoo to honour his late best friend, Diogo Jota. A truly beautiful tribute."

@TouchlineX added that the tattoo is "is absolutely beautiful."

Neves and Jota played together for both Wolves and the Portuguese national team, becoming best friends. The news of the latter’s death in July shocked the footballing world and decided to get the tattoo in memory of the forward shortly after. Neves also took Jota’s number 21 shirt for Portugal as he looked to further honour his memory.

On Jota, Neves said: "He's a very special person to me and a way of seeing him on the field. I promised I would remember him as much as I could. All these details are a way of bringing him to me and to all my achievements and challenges."

If there was going to be someone to score the winner for Portugal, playing back home for the first time since Jota’s death, it was fitting that it would be Neves.

With three wins from three games, Portugal have a flawless record in their World Cup qualifiers and are on the cusp of securing an automatic spot at next summer’s tournament. Victory over Hungary on Tuesday will see them qualify as group winners, leaving their opponents, Ireland and Armenia to battle it out for second place.

Ireland provided Portugal with a stern test and almost held on to claim a precious point in Lisbon. Roberto Martinez’s team were far from their best level and will have to perform to a higher level in North America next year, but Saturday’s win was worth far more than just the three points.