Leão pays tribute to late Jota in Milan’s 4-2 win over Liverpool

AC Milan forward Rafael Leão paid an emotional tribute to late Portugal teammate Diogo Jota after scoring a stunning goal in their 4-2 pre-season win over Liverpool.

Leão opened scoring early in the game, latching onto a through ball from Christian Pulisic during a quick counterattack.

Despite pressure from Virgil van Dijk, the Portuguese winger unleashed a powerful strike that beat Alisson.

Following the goal, Leão held up a “20” gesture in front of Liverpool fans, a heartfelt nod to Jota, who tragically passed away recently and wore the No. 20 shirt for Portugal.

The match, played in Asia as part of both clubs’ pre-season tour, also saw Arne Slot’s side make headlines for their squad omissions.

Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez were left out amid growing transfer speculation.

Núñez is reportedly on Napoli and Saudi Pro League radars, while Bayern Munich remain strongly interested in Díaz.

Liverpool will look to bounce back when they face Yokohama F. Marinos in the J League World Challenge final on July 30.