Heartbreak for Croatia: The Stunning Reason Their Last-Gasp Equalizer Against Portugal Was Wiped Out—2026 World Cup

Portugal edged out Croatia 2–1 in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup in a match that concluded in remarkably contentious circumstances.

Croatia seemed to have grabbed an equalizer deep in stoppage time—103 minutes into the match, to be precise. An Ivan Perišić delivery into the box deflected off Renato Veiga and fell to Mario Pašalić. The midfielder couldn't bring it under control, but the ball ricocheted off him perfectly into the path of Joško Gvardiol, who slotted home Croatia's second from close range.

The thrilling round of 32 encounter looked set to head into 30 minutes of extra time, but that was not to be. VAR stepped in to controversially settle the match in Portugal's favor, ruling that Pašalić was in an offside position when he made contact with the ball and set up Gvardiol.

Why Croatia's Equalizer vs. Portugal Was Disallowed

VAR concluded that before Veiga made contact with the ball, Croatia striker Igor Matanović had also touched it, flicking it toward the back post, with Pašalić being the next player to make contact. At the moment Matanović touched the ball, Pašalić was clearly positioned in an offside zone.

Had Matanović not made that touch, however, Pašalić would have been onside—and that is precisely where the controversy lies. Replay footage makes it nearly impossible to confirm whether Matanović genuinely did flick the ball backward. If there was a touch, it was the most minimal of deflections, and many felt the striker never made contact at all, sparking fierce debate both on the field and across social media.

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Nevertheless, VAR's ruling was also supported by the sensor embedded inside every official match ball. Using that technology, the sensor registered that Matanović did indeed make the slightest contact with the ball. Armed with that data, match referee Espen Eskås was able to rule the goal out for offside.

Croatia failed to conjure another opportunity and, having reached at least the semifinal stage in each of the previous two World Cups, their 2026 campaign came to an end in the round of 32. Portugal will now move on to face Spain in the round of 16.