Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has defended the video assistant referee (VAR) decisions that shaped his side’s dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia in FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, while Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić criticized the officiating, but refused to fully blame it for his team’s departure.Portugal booked their place in the round of 16 after beating Croatia from behind in Toronto Cristiano Ronaldo scoring from the penalty spot before substitute Goncalo Ramos scored to win in stoppage time. The match was overshadowed by a series of VAR interventions, including the cancellation of two Croatian goals due to the backfield.Speaking after the game, Martinez dismissed suggestions that Croatia were unfairly denied a dramatic late equaliser.“There were no bad decisions. We were lucky today,” Martinez said when asked if VAR stole Croatia’s second goal.The ball showed that it was offside, the penalty was also clear. I understand the work of (Hrvatska Zlatko) Dalić in this team and it’s a shame that there was only one winner today, he added.The Portuguese coach also reflected on his team’s round of 16 clash against Spain, predicting a very high-quality match.“We respect the quality of Spain. I think it will be a fantastic game, it will be the European game of this World Cup,” Martinez said.Referring to the dramatic nature of the competition, he added: “I’ve lost my hair through this, but I think it’s worth it.”Meanwhile, Dalić expressed his frustration with the refereeing, believing that Croatia was deprived of important decisions during the match.“He refereed very badly,” said Dalić and added that Croatia “should have been given more free kicks.”However, the Croatian coach did not use the trial as an excuse to eliminate his side.“But Croatia lost. I will not ask for excuses,” he said. – We could have won this earlier.Croatia took the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country’s all-time World Cup goalscorer, before Ronaldo’s penalty gave Portugal an equaliser. Ramos’ late winner eventually sealed Portugal’s progress and potentially ended it Luka ModricWorld Cup career.
