Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has defended the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions that shaped his team’s dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia in FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, as Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic criticized the officiating but refused to blame it entirely on his team’s exit.Portugal booked their place in the Round of 16 after coming from behind to beat Croatia in Toronto, with: Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot before substitute Goncalo Ramos slotted home a stoppage-time winner. The match was overshadowed by a series of VAR interventions, including the disallowance of two Croatian goals for offside.Speaking after the match, Martinez rejected suggestions that Croatia had been unfairly denied a dramatic late equaliser.“There were no bad decisions. Today we were lucky,” said Martinez when asked if Croatia was robbed of the second goal by VAR.“The chip ball showed it was offside, the penalty was also clear. I understand the work of (Croatia coach Zlatko) Dalic in this team and it’s a shame that there was only one winner today,” he added.The Portugal coach is also looking ahead to his team’s Round of 16 clash against Spain, predicting a high-quality clash.“We respect the quality of Spain. I think it will be an amazing game, it will be the European game of this World Cup,” said Martinez.Reflecting on the strange nature of the competition, he added: “I lost my hair over it, but I think it was worth it.”Dalic, on the other hand, expressed disappointment with the officiating, believing that Croatia was deprived of important decisions during the match.“Poor refereeing,” Dalic said, adding that Croatia “should have been awarded more free kicks.”However, the Croatia manager stopped short of using the refereeing as an excuse to drop his team.“But Croatia lost. I’m not looking for any excuses,” he said. “We could have won it earlier.”Croatia took the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the World Cup’s top scorer worldwide, before Ronaldo’s penalty brought Portugal level. Ramos’ late winner finally sealed Portugal’s progress and probably ended with: Luka ModricThe World Cup career.