FIFA World Cup 2026: Why Croatia's 103rd Minute Equaliser Against Portugal Was Disallowed By VAR
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia witnessed late drama as Josko Gvardiol's 103rd minute goal was disallowed by VAR.
- Josko Gvardiol's 103rd minute goal was disallowed by VAR during the Portugal vs Croatia FIFA World Cup match
- Gvardiol equalised in the final minutes of the game but VAR decided that his teammate was offside
- Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 to set up a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Spain
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia witnessed late drama as Josko Gvardiol's 103rd minute goal was disallowed by VAR. It proved to be the pivotal moment of the match as Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 to emerge victorious in a closely-contested match. Ivan Perisic handed Croatia the lead before Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to equalise. Goncalo Ramos scored in the 94th minute from a powerful header to make it 2-1 for Portugal. In the dying minutes of the match, Gvardiol found the back of the net but the goal was ultimately ruled offside.
Ivan Perisic played a pass to Mario Pasalic, who was unable to keep it in control, and Gvardiol took advantage of the scramble to find the back of the net.
However, the "snickometer" technology showed that the ball hit Croatia midfielder Igor Matanovic on the way and when the ball made contact with his head, Pasalic was in an off-side position. The ball did get deflected off Portugal defender Renato Veiga's head before reaching Pasalic but the referee ruled that his touch was not deliberate.
Earlier, Portugal received a penalty after VAR decided that Veiga was fouled inside the box during a corner by Nikola Vlasic. Replays showed that the Croatian defender dragged Veiga's shirt and the penalty was converted by Ronaldo.
Portugal will now face Spain in a start-studded Round of 16 clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo scripted history by becoming the oldest player to score a goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout match.
It was the first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout game for Ronaldo as he converted a penalty against Croatia during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash against Croatia. At 41 years and 147 days old, he also became the first player ever to score a goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout match after turning 40.
The record previously belonged to his former teammate Pepe, who was 39 years and 283 days old when he scored against Switzerland in 2022.
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