TORONTO: Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said VAR is taking “the joy out of football” after seeing his team have a stoppage time equaliser disallowed in their 2-1 World Cup defeat to Portugal on Thursday.
Portugal were awarded a penalty after a Video Assistant Referee review, which Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home to cancel out Ivan Perisic’s opener. Goncalo Ramos then netted a stoppage-time header to put Portugal in front.
Croatia looked to have equalised at the very end but the last-gasp effort was ruled offside after another VAR review, prompting the team’s supporters in the south end of Toronto Stadium to shower the pitch with debris.
Asked afterwards if he felt technology and VAR decisions in football had gone too far, Dalic broadly agreed.
“You were able to see to what extent emotions have been literally killed, and altogether these decisions take you back and actually take the joy out of football,” Dalic said in a press conference, according to a FIFA interpreter.
“I’m not saying that sometimes VAR can’t be of help, but it kills the emotions, it kills everything within you, it kills what you are experiencing and it’s not easy to deal with all of this.”
The “connected ball” chip technology used to rule out Gvardiol’s goal had already been deployed at this World Cup, during Sweden’s group game with Tunisia last month.
On that occasion, Mattias Svanberg saw a goal ruled out for offside before VAR overturned the decision after determining the ball had taken a slight touch by team-mate Alexander Isak which had played him onside.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said there was no debate around Croatia’s disallowed goal.
“The message is very clear: The balls now they have a chip, and it’s very clear and that’s why the VAR intervened,” Martinez said. “There is no subjective opinion — the chip of the ball shows there is a touch from Matanovic, and that when it happens, Pasalic is offside.
“It’s a shame that one of the teams had to lose today, but there was no bad decision, no unlucky call today, it was clear-cut and technology helped. We were fortunate with a moment but it was a clear moment.”
ANOTHER RECORD
Ronaldo, 41, became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of a World Cup when he fired home from the spot to draw Portugal level in the 68th minute of a pulsating game before substitute Ramos rose above the Croatia defenders in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
The goal for Ronaldo, who was taken out of the game by coach Martinez in the 81st minute, was his first in a World Cup knockout game.
Perisic had put Croatia in front when he brought down a pass from Josip Stanisic and coolly fired home at the far post in the 53rd minute as the game opened up considerably with incredible back-and-forth action.
Portugal dominated possession in the first half but struggled to convert their chances. Ronaldo, booed heavily by Croatia supporters every time he touched the ball, failed to get his head on an early Pedro Neto cross and then he and Bruno Fernandes were unable to take advantage of a deep cross from Joao Cancelo.
Croatia, World Cup runners-up in 2018 and third in 2022, came roaring out of the restart and had Portugal on the back foot as Mateo Kovacic picked up a loose ball and went through the defenders but his shot hit the side of the net not long before they opened the scoring.
Nikola Vlasic thought he had Croatia’s second but was ruled offside after poking the ball in before Portugal stormed back down the field where Rafael Leao drilled a shot from outside the area that slammed off the crossbar.
Ronaldo nearly scored when he coolly flicked the ball over the goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and into the net but was ruled offside.
The Portugal captain finally got his moment in the 68th minute when he fired a penalty straight down the middle of the goal after Renato Veiga was pulled down in the area by Vlasic.
Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2026