Croatia has lost its chance to advance to the round of 16 in the World Cup after a goal was disallowed in their match against Portugal. Portugal won 2:1, but in the final minutes of the game, Croatia scored a goal. However, after a VAR review, Gvardiol's goal was disallowed.

What happened?

There is a controversy over whether Matanović touched the ball or if Pašalić was offside. Former English international Matthew Upson commented on the situation. 'The euphoria of scoring a goal to equalize in the last minutes of the game, and then it's taken away from you. Did he really touch it? It's very hard to judge. I don't think the ball's path or rotation changed. I think he didn't touch it at all', said Upson.

Expert comments

Mark Chapman, a host on BBC One, said. 'I was contacted by former referee Darren Cann... He was offside when his teammate last played the ball. The defender only deflected the ball, didn't play it intentionally, so the offside remains in effect. The Snicko technology confirms that he touched the ball with his head.'.

Current situation

Last result: England 4-2 Croatia (2026-06-17). Recent form (last 5): 1W-0D-4L (LWLLL, most recent first). Next fixture: vs Czechia (away, 2026-09-26) (3rd in the table). | Date | Result | Opponent | | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-17 | 4-2 | England | | 2026-09-26 | - | Czechia |