Enzo Maresca praised Pedro Neto for making a "fantastic effort" to play for Chelsea against Palmeiras, just two days on from the death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota.
Neto, who played alongside Jota for both Wolves and Portugal, lined up in the Club World Cup quarter-final, which Chelsea won 2-1.
Ahead of kickoff in Philadelphia, a period of silence was observed to remember Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who were killed in a car crash in Spain this week.
During the silence, Neto held up a Chelsea jersey which featured the names of both brothers. After the game, Chelsea boss Maresca praised his player's mental strength to turn out for his team in the face of grief.
"We spoke with Pedro yesterday, this morning and this afternoon and it was completely his personal decision whether to play or not to play," Maresca said. "He made a fantastic effort to play this game, to be with his team-mates, and we really appreciate what he has done.
"I just said to the players that this win is especially for him because we know how close he was [with Jota] and the effort that he has done. So no doubt that we really appreciate what he decided in the end."
Neto's involvement for Chelsea meant he was not able to attend Jota's funeral on Saturday, but there were plenty of other Portugal players in attendance.
Among them were Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo of Al-Hilal, who were themselves involved in Club World Cup action in Florida just 12 hours before the start of the funeral in Gondomar.
Ruben Neves was among Jota's pallbearers
Ruben Neves was among Jota's pallbearers (Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva, a teammate at international level but one of Jota's rivals in the Premier League, arrived with a floral tribute in his hands — similarly to Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
Speaking outside the funeral, Bernardo told a Portuguese media outlet: "I can't even imagine the pain of the family, of Rute, of the children, of the parents. For Andre and for Jota.
"I must say a little about Jota, who was a great friend of all of us. His career, although not the most important, speaks for itself. He didn't train at any of the big teams and took the most difficult paths. His passion, will and determination allowed him to succeed in life and have a brilliant career.
"More important than that, as a person... the memories that remain... Jota will always be in our hearts. He will always be present at every breakfast, lunch, dinner, national team get-together, PlayStation or card game."