Why was Josko Gvardiol’s goal disallowed vs Portugal? Croatia fans throw bottles on pitch amid VAR controversy

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The Independent

3 July 2026

Croatia

had their hearts broken by another contentious

VAR

decision at the 2026

World Cup

after having a last-gasp equaliser chalked off

against Portugal in the round of 32

Portugal thought they had the game won when

Goncalo Ramos

headed home in the 94th minute, making it 2-1 after Cristiano Ronaldo had cancelled out

Ivan Perisic

’s opener

from the spot

But

kept coming deep into stoppage time and as the ball was whipped in from the left in the 103rd minute, it was met by Mario Pasalic who knocked the ball into the path of Manchester City’s

Josko Gvardiol

to convert.

It appeared that

had saved their skin in the final seconds, with the game looking set for extra time.

However, the Snicko technology within the ball - which can detect touches - showed the faintest flicks off the head of

Igor Matanovic

as the ball came into the area, which as a result had Pasalic receiving the ball in an offside position.

Referee Espen Eskas was called over to the monitor to review the incident - an abnormal move for an offside decision - and subsequently overturned the goal, all but sending

Portugal

through to the last-16.

open image in gallery

Igor Matanovic’s light flick meant Mario Pasalic was offside (Reuters)

Irate

fans responded by peppering the pitch with water bottles in protest, causing a delay to the match getting restarted.

Perisic, whose excellent finish in the 53rd minute gave

real hope of progression, had to go over to the

supporters to remonstrate with them before a replay of the offside was shown on the big screen at BMO Field.

This was perceived by the BBC commentators as an attempt to quell the rage of the Croatians by showing just how offside Pasalic was.

Where the controversy came into this VAR decision, however, was the complete reliance on the Snicko technology, with the touch being so faint that it was barely visible to the human eye.

Croatia fans hurl bottles on pitch in protest to their disallowed equaliser (Getty)

These doubts were not present in the mind of former referee Darren Cann, with Mark Chapman revealing a message he received from the BBC’s resident refereeing expert after the game.

It read: "He was offside when the ball was last played by a teammate and the ball was deflected by the defender and not deliberately played, so the offside stands.

"Snicko, that 100 percent proves that he touched it with the flick-on."

Croatia were nevertheless crestfallen as the final whistle blew, sending

into a last-16 tie with Spain.

Man

City

midfielder

Mateo Kovacic

was in tears and had to be consoled, while this drama closed the book on 40-year-old

captain

Luka Modric

’s

career, who has guided them to a final and a semi-final in the past two editions.

Portugal 2-1 Croatia: Goncalo Ramos wins it at the death as VAR denies Josko Gvardiol heroics

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