A late goal by Croatia against Portugal in their World Cup round of 32 match was disallowed after a VAR review, leading to a 2-1 victory for Portugal. The incident occurred in the 103rd minute of the game, which took place in Toronto, Ontario, on July 2.
The match saw Portugal take a 2-1 lead after Gonçalo Ramos scored in the 94th minute. However, Croatia appeared to have found an equalizer during the 10 minutes of stoppage time. The ball ended up in the net after a scramble in front of the goal, but the celebration was cut short by the offside call.
Offside decision explained
The sequence leading to the disallowed goal began with Croatia’s Ivan Perišić delivering a long cross from the right side. The ball traveled through a group of players and deflected off Portugal defender Renato Veiga’s head. It then touched Croatia’s Mario Pašalić near the goal before Joško Gvardiol ultimately put it into the net.
Replays indicated that Croatia striker Igor Matanović made a slight headed touch on the ball. At the moment of Matanović’s contact, Pašalić was determined to be in an offside position. The touch from Veiga, after the ball skimmed Matanović’s head, was not considered intentional. This meant that all players needed to be in an onside position when the ball was touched by Matanović.
The referee used Snicko technology during the VAR review to identify Matanović’s flick. Despite Pašalić running back onside towards the ball after it bounced off the Portugal player, his initial offside position at the time of Matanović’s touch rendered the play invalid. This decision led to strong reactions from Croatia players and fans.
Match outcome and fan reaction
The disallowance of Gvardiol’s goal secured Portugal’s 2-1 win and their advancement to the Round of 16. Portugal is now set to face Spain in their next match on July 6 in Arlington. The match was part of the World Cup‘s single-elimination knockout stage, which began after the group stage.
The decision caused significant displeasure among Croatia supporters, who reacted by throwing objects such as water bottles and soft-drink cans onto the pitch. This led to a delay in restarting the game as officials worked to clear the debris. Fans voiced their disapproval with loud boos during this period.
Earlier in the match, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who was named Player of the Match, scored an equalizer from a penalty. This marked his first knockout goal in the FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo was substituted in the 81st minute, and shortly after, Gonçalo Ramos scored to give Portugal the lead.
The World Cup continues with various matches across 16 host cities in three countries. Other teams that have advanced to the Round of 16 include Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Morocco, Norway, France, Mexico, England, Belgium, USA, and Spain. The tournament’s knockout stage will continue to halve the field until a champion is crowned on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The World Cup knockout stage bracket includes upcoming matches such as Paraguay vs. France on July 4 and Brazil vs. Norway on July 5.
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Source: eu.usatoday.com
Arjun Sharma
Sports Reporter