VAR Controversy Erupts as Portugal Deny Croatia with Last-Gasp Offside Call
Portugal reached the World Cup quarter-finals thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s first knockout-stage goal and a stoppage-time header from Gonçalo Ramos. Yet the defining moment arrived when Croatia thought they had equalised in the 103rd minute. Officials overturned Joško Gvardiol’s goal after FIFA’s Connected Ball Technology detected a faint touch by Igor Matanović before an offside phase. The sensor-based decision sent Portugal through and silenced the stunned stadium. Fans around the globe erupted, calling the ruling “the robbery of the century” and reviving the “Penaldo” jibes at Ronaldo. Social media was flooded with slowed-down clips and furious debates over the limits of VAR intervention. A disappointed Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic stopped short of blaming the officials alone, while supporters questioned whether microscopic calls risk eroding the spirit of football.
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