NEW DELHI: Amazing stoppage time Croatia vs Portugal in 2026 FIFA World Cup was overruled after a lengthy VAR review, a decision that ultimately proved decisive in their disappointing exit from the tournament.The controversy occurred in the 103rd minute of the Round of 32 clash in Toronto. Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol thought he had saved Croatia when he tapped home at the back post to make it 2-2, sparking wild celebrations from the players and fans. However, the celebrations were short-lived.Norwegian referee Espen Eskas was ordered to review the goal after VAR detected a possible offside violation earlier in the move. The main question centered on whether Croatia striker Igor Matanovic communicated with the ball before it reached Mario Pasalic, who was standing in an offside position.
Why Croatia’s 103rd minute equalizer against Portugal was disallowed
After reviewing the footage and consulting data from the match ball’s sensor technology, the officials concluded that Matanovic had indeed made the slightest touch of the cross. As Pasalic was in an offside position at the time of Matanovic’s touch, his subsequent involvement in setting up Gvardiol’s goal was deemed illegal under the Laws of the Game.Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann explained the decision to BBC Sport, saying: “He was offside when the ball was last played by a team-mate and the ball was deflected by the defender and was not played on purpose, so the offside stands.”Cann also pointed to the use of “Snicko” technology, a waveform system embedded inside the ball that detects even the slightest contact, adding: “Snicko, that 100% proves that he touched it on the flick-on.”The decision sparked outrage among Croatian players and supporters, many of whom believed that Matanovic had not touched the ball. Croatia midfielder Petar Sucic questioned the decision after the match, saying the incident needed further review and clarification.In the end, the combination of VAR footage and ball sensor technology proved decisive, denying Croatia a dramatic equalizer and sending Portugal into the last 16.