2026 World Cup: Croatia Furious Over VAR Intervention—Controversial Decision

So much disappointment, but also anger over what happened in the final moments of the match against Portugal. Trailing by a goal, Croatia managed to tie the game at the very last moment with a goal by Gvardiol. The joy was short-lived, however, as Norwegian referee Eskas was called upon by VAR for an offside call that left many with doubts, especially among the Croatian players and fans.

Specifically, there’s talk of an alleged touch by Matanovic that would have made the play illegal—a touch that, even after multiple TV replays, remained unclear.

“The referee said he had a sensor in the ball and that’s why he made that call. But I don’t know what that is. It’s really hard to explain, but we expect someone to explain it to us because, in my opinion, Matanovic didn’t touch the ball. So, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a legitimate goal, but I don’t know,” Sucic said, as reported by ESPN.

Coach Dalic, rather than focusing on the incident—which is bound to spark lengthy debate—drew attention to the referee: “I don’t want to comment too much, but the refereeing was definitely terrible,” Dalic said. “Nothing went our way—no fouls, no calls. Nothing favored us. But that’s not the reason for our loss.”