From Mbappé's tribute to Diogo Jota to Alexander-Arnold's sincerity: "I'm broken, devastated, and in shock. He was more than a friend."

Trent Alexander-Arnold could barely form his words in the mixed zone at Metlife Stadium . "I'm still in shock ," he admitted. The English footballer wanted to speak after Real Madrid 's victory over Borussia Dortmund to honor his "friend" Diogo Jota and the latter's brother, Andre Silva , who died early Thursday morning in a car accident in Zamora. "Every victory now will be for him," insisted the full-back, who shared five years with the Portuguese player at Liverpool.

Trent experienced the match with emotion from the moment the entire Metlife team in New Jersey was silent. It was a moment that moved the hearts of fans in a stadium with seats for more than 80,000. Images of Diogo Jota and André Silva appeared on the video scoreboards, and after the tribute, Trent stepped back from his teammates to offer a heartfelt prayer.

"I only have loving thoughts and prayers for his family. I can't describe how his family will feel or how I feel right now," he explained in the mixed zone. "It's hard to put into words when something like this happens to someone you call a friend, someone you've laughed so hard with, and someone you've loved so much on and off the field. It's devastating for so many of us, truly devastating . I can't believe it happened," he continued.

"I woke up to a lot of messages"

The English full-back started and provided an assist for Fran García in Madrid's 2-0 victory, at which point most of his teammates approached to hug him. He smiled shyly, but it was clear, and understandable, that his mind was elsewhere.

"I'm heartbroken, if I'm honest. Heartbroken. He was incredible on and off the field. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. My heart goes out to his family, and this win was for him. Every win will be for him and his family," he said.

Because of the time difference with Europe, the news of the accident hit him early in the morning in the US, so he saw all the messages when he woke up. "I just remember waking up to a lot of messages saying 'rest in peace,' and I was super confused. I had to check social media and I was like, 'It can't be,' 'It can't be.' I'm still in shock . He was more than a friend. He was family," he admitted.

Trent was substituted in the second half of a match that ended up going downhill for Madrid, although thanks to Kylian Mbappé 's goal and Thibaut Courtois 's final save, they will face PSG in the Club World Cup semi-finals. "We believe we can beat anyone," said Trent, who was praised by Alonso in the press room. "He's been with us for three weeks after 15 years at Liverpool... That takes time . He's growing in integration, in grasping new ideas. We have to be with him every day, but we're happy."

Mbappé's goal was his first of the tournament, and he also wanted to pay tribute to Diogo Jota , making a 2 and a 0 with his hands in remembrance of the Portuguese footballer's number 20. "I see Kylian doing well, he's not perfect, not yet 100 percent, there are days when he'll have better feelings for the semis," he explained.

Huijsen: "I apologize"

Another key player in the match was Dean Huijsen , who was sent off and will miss the semi-final against PSG. "I apologize for being sent off and for not being able to help the team in the next match," he wrote on social media. The center-back grabbed Serhou Guirassy when he was the last man, leading Dortmund to a 3-2 lead and the final pressure on Courtois' goal, which the Belgian resolved with a sensational save.

"I didn't want extra time and I threw myself into it with all my heart ," admitted Courtois, who insisted that Huijsen's red card was "unnecessary." " Dean was pissed off because I think it's a bit of an unnecessary red card , but the forwards are very clever. They touch him a little with their hand and then they fall. If you try to play the ball, it's not a red card because they say you contested the ball, but since it's a touch with your arm, it's a red card. But we're going to try to win for him," reflected the goalkeeper.