Croatia experienced a heartbreaking exit from 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic VAR decision ruled out a stoppage-time equalizer in their last-32 clash against Portugal in Toronto.Manchester City defender Joško Guardiol thought he had saved Croatia with a goal in the 103rd minute and caused a huge celebration. However, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas was asked to review the goal after a VAR review and ended up disallowing it for offside. The decision provoked the anger of Croatian fans, and some threw plastic bottles and cans onto the field, delaying the continuation.Watch:
Why is the goal ruled out?
The moot point was whether Igor Matanović made contact with the ball before it reached Marijo Pašalić, who was in the backfield before assisting Guardiola for the finish.Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann explained the ruling to BBC Sport.“He was offside when the ball was last played by a teammate, and the ball was deflected by a defender and was not played on purpose, so the offside remains,” he said.“Snićko, that proves 100% that he was touched by a flick-on.”Croatian midfielder Petar Sučić questioned the decision after the game.“The referee said that he didn’t see that our players touched the ball. He said that there was a sensor in the ball and that’s what he decided. But I don’t know what this is,” said Sučić.“It’s really hard to explain, but we expect someone to explain to us because if what I saw is that [Igor] Matanović did not touch the ball. So it’s a regular goal for me, but I don’t know. I say that we have to look better and some more time. And also, they told me that my target is in a difficult situation.“They have to check more because he decided in one second and the situation is difficult. I don’t know. Today is like that. Luck is on their side.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, Goncalo Ramos sealed the victory for Portugal
Croatia took the lead through Ivan Perišić at the beginning of the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo later equalized from the penalty spot after VAR awarded Portugal a penalty kick for a foul on Renato Veiga. It was Ronaldo’s third goal of the tournament.After Ronaldo was replaced in the 81st minute, Goncalo Ramos scored the winning goal in the 94th minute to send Portugal into the last 16, where they will face Spain on July 6 in Dallas.The final whistle brought emotional scenes, with Mateo Kovacic in tears and Luka Modric, possibly playing his last World Cup at the age of 40, comforted by former Real Madrid team-mate Ronaldo. Later, an emotional Ronaldo wore the jersey of the late Diogo Jota as the Portuguese players celebrated with their fans.
