Thiago broke down in tears in the 20th minute of the charity match between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund

Ashley Davis28/03/2026

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Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Saturday, March 28, 2026, 7:09 p.m. / Updated Saturday, March 28, 2026, 7:22 p.m.

Liverpool's legends met Borussia Dortmund's at Anfield in a charity match on Saturday afternoon which ended 2-2. The “Cormorants” led 2-0, but in the 90th minute they were close to equalizing.

In the 20th minute, Liverpool fans, as they do every game, started chanting the name of Diogo Jota, who lost his life in an accident last July.

Thiago, in tears for Diogo Jota

Hearing the chant, Thiago Alcantara broke down in tears as he remembered his former Liverpool team-mate. The pair played together at the Cormorants for three seasons, from 2020-21 to 2022-23, when both were transferred 24 hours apart (Thiago on September 18, Jota on September 19).

Together they managed to win the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022, beating Chelsea on penalties in both finals.

Diogo Jota and Thiago, in 2022 // PHOTO: Getty Images

Diogo Jota, deceased in July 2025

On July 3, 2025, the Portuguese footballer died in a road accident near the municipality of Palacios de Sanabria, Zamora province, close to the border with Portugal.

The car went off the road on the A-52 highway, at kilometer 65, and caught fire after the impact. On board was also Diogo's brother, Andre, registered at Penafiel, in the second Portuguese league. Diogo had just married the love of his heart, Rute Cardoso, on June 22. He had 3 children with her.

Liverpool and Dortmund, face to face in the match of legends

On 28 March 2026, the Anfield Stadium hosted the charity match between the legends of Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, an event organized for the benefit of the LFC Foundation. The match also marked Jurgen Klopp's return to the home side's bench and ended in a draw after the Cormorants squandered a two-goal lead.

The match began in dominance for the hosts, who fielded a stellar starting line-up with Steven Gerrard and Thiago Alcantara in midfield. Liverpool opened the scoring through Thiago and Jay Spearing doubled the lead, finishing off a collective effort to make it 2-0 at half-time.

In the second half, Dortmund's legends leveled the game with tactical changes and a more aggressive physical presence in the opposition box. Mohamed Zidan reduced the gap to 2-1 and Jan Koller equalized with a characteristic header.

The game was played behind closed doors, with all funds raised going towards the social and employability programs supported by the LFC Foundation and Forever Reds.

How the two batches looked:

Liverpool Legends: Dudek, Skrtel, Hyypia, Klavan, Wright, Biscan, Spearing, Aurelio, Gerrard, Thiago, Babel, Reina, Westerveld, Vignal, Kelly, Benayoun, Schillgard, Smicer, Riera, Sinama-Pongolle, Pennant, Gonzalez, Crouch, Dowie, Kuyt
Borussia Dortmund legends: Erik Durm, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Jan Koller, Jorg Heinrich, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Kevin Grosskreutz, Leonardo Dede, Lukasz Piszczek, Marcel Schmelzer, Mats Hummels, Mitch Langerak, Mladen Petric, Mohamed Zidan, Moritz Leitner, Nelson Valdez, Oliver Kirch, Patrick Owomoyela, Paul Lambert, Roman Weidenfeller, Toni da Silva, Young-pyo Lee