Liverpool star Andy Robertson delivered an emotional tribute to former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota after captaining Scotland to a dramatic 4–2 win over Denmark to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
On a night that will live long in Scottish football history, Andy Robertson stood on the Hampden touchline visibly overwhelmed.
Scotland had just sealed their place at the 2026 World Cup with a dramatic 4–2 victory over Denmark, ending a 28-year wait for qualification. Yet for the Scotland captain, the occasion meant far more than sporting achievement.
As the Liverpool defender attempted to process what his team had accomplished, his thoughts went somewhere else entirely to his late friend and former teammate, Diogo Jota.
‘I’ve been in bits all day’ Robertson’s raw honesty
Speaking to BBC Two shortly after the final whistle, Robertson revealed that the build-up to the match had been emotionally brutal. It was the first time he had openly admitted just how deeply he had struggled since Jota’s death.
“I think I’ve hidden it well, but today I’ve been in bits,” Robertson said. “I know that the age I’m at means this was my last chance at a World Cup. I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today. We spoke so much about the World Cup.”
His voice cracked as he continued.
“He missed out on Qatar 2022 because of injury and I missed out because Scotland never went. We always talked about going to this World Cup. I know he’ll be somewhere smiling over me tonight.”
It was an extraordinary admission from a player known for his resilience, and one that underscored just how deeply Liverpool’s dressing room has been affected by Jota’s loss.
Jota’s death on 3 July 2025 stunned the football community. The 28-year-old was travelling through Zamora, Spain, en route back to England for Liverpool’s pre-season training, when a fatal car accident claimed the lives of both Jota and his brother, Andre Silva.
The outpouring of grief across Portugal, Liverpool, and the wider game reflected the stature of a player universally admired for his humility, work ethic and quiet brilliance.
Robertson was one of those hardest hit. The pair had grown particularly close during Jota’s time at Anfield, bonded by similar mentalities and mirrored frustrations Jota missing Qatar through injury, Robertson missing out because Scotland failed to qualify.
Against Denmark, the script could not have been written with more tension. Scotland made the perfect start when Scott McTominay scored a stunning overhead kick after superb work from Ben Gannon-Doak, the former Liverpool academy winger whose explosive rise has captivated Scottish supporters. Yet the teenager’s night was cut short when he was stretchered off with what appeared to be a serious injury.
Denmark responded with pressure, and Robertson himself was at the centre of a moment that could have haunted him. Following a lengthy VAR check, he was adjudged to have fouled Gustav Isaksen inside the box. Rasmus Højlund converted the penalty.
Instead of folding, Scotland responded. Goals from Rasmus Kristensen and Lawrence Shankland ignited the atmosphere once again, before Patrick Dorgu levelled for Denmark to leave the tie on a knife edge and the visitors seconds away from qualification.
But Hampden has seen enough heartache over the decades. On this night, it demanded something different.
In stoppage time, Kieran Tierney smashed Scotland ahead with a thunderous finish. Moments later, with Denmark pushing every player forward, Kenny McLean produced a moment of insanity and inspiration finding the net from inside his own half to seal a 4–2 victory and end Scotland’s World Cup exile.
For Liverpool supporters watching at home, the interview that followed was especially difficult. This was their vice captain, their leader, still carrying the grief of a teammate whose absence is felt every single day at the AXA Training Centre.
It also explained something of the Liverpool squad’s struggle this season. Grief, as Robertson said, doesn’t follow a tidy timeline.
This was a victory that will be replayed for generations. A nation returning to the biggest stage in world football. A captain leading his country into a World Cup at the final opportunity of his career.
But for Andy Robertson, the night will forever be tied to a friend who should have been here to see it. A teammate who once spoke about sharing the World Cup stage, and who never stopped believing the moment would come.
