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Croatia sees last-gasp equalizer wiped away by brutal VAR offside call
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- Croatia sees last-gasp equalizer wiped away by brutal VAR offside call
croatia offisde
From jubilation to heartbreak in a matter of moments for Croatia.
Just as it looked like Croatia had staved off elimination with an extra-time goal to tie the match at two, it was taken away by VAR after it was ruled to be offside thanks to a minuscule touch by Igor Matanović that ended up costing his side the goal.
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It was an equal parts dramatic and heartbreaking end on Thursday night in Toronto as Croatia's run in the World Cup ended with the controversial call. While Croatian fans will not be happy with the end result, it would appear to be the correct one with chip in the ball proving undisputedly that Matanović did indeed touch the ball with his head, resulting in Mario Pašalić being offside.
The ball got sent into the box in 103rd minute of the match and it ever so slightly made contact with Matanović before it hit off a Portugal defender and then was touched by Pašalić.
In the moment, it looked as though Ruben Neves had scored an own goal that pulled Croatia even with Portugal, but the officials went to the VAR and after the lengthy review it was called offside.
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Because of the long review, play continued on for several more minutes before the match finally came to an end and Portugal had survived to win 2-1, and advance to the Round of 16 to take on Spain on Monday .
The ending was extra heartbreaking due to the fact that the match was likely Croatian star Luka Modrić 's final World Cup match of his career.
"The referee said he didn't see [anyone] touch the ball, he said that he had a sensor in that ball," Croatia midfielder Petar Sucic said, per the Associated Press. "For me, it's a regular goal."
The match had been billed as two soccer icons battling to keep their World Cups alive, with Cristiano Ronaldo likely playing in the final World Cup of his career.
Players react as referee Espen Eskas announces his decision following a VAR review on a Croatia goal attempt during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia at Toronto Stadium on July 2, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Getty Images
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez told reporters before the match that Modrić and Ronaldo's extensive careers have made them icons.
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"Luka Modric is an example for millions of young athletes and young generations who love football," Martinez said. "The longevity both he and our captain [Ronaldo] have shown makes them icons of the sport."
