Croatian fans hurled bottles and cans onto the pitch after their team had a late equaliser disallowed against Portugal in the FIFA World Cup round of 32. The incident occurred when Josko Gvardiol believed he had taken the match to extra time, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Match Suspended as Objects Rain Down
The ugly scenes saw the match briefly stopped as Croatian supporters expressed their fury. The barrage of objects had to be cleared from the field before play could resume, despite only seconds remaining on the clock. The decision sparked a huge debate, with FIFA releasing a statement overnight defending the call.
Controversial Offside Decision Explained
The dramatic incident occurred in the 103rd minute when Manchester City defender Gvardiol found the net after Mario Pasalic took advantage of a flick from Portugal's Renato Veiga. However, Igor Matanovic was judged to have made contact with the ball first while his teammate was in an offside position. Ecstatic celebrations rapidly turned to dismay as VAR intervened. Referee Espen Aspas confirmed that Matanovic had touched the ball, making Gvardiol offside.
BBC host Mark Chapman revealed that former referee Darren Cann stated Matanovic definitely touched the ball. "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," Chapman read. "Snicko, that 100% proves that he touched it with the flick-on."
However, the BBC's Matt Upson remained unconvinced. "Controversial from my view unless VAR have been looking at an angle we have not been seeing," he said. "From what I can see, I don't see any change of direction of the ball. What the telling thing is the spin on the ball doesn't change and it looks like Matanovic hasn't touched that ball."
FIFA Statement on Connected Ball Technology
Following the match, FIFA released a statement explaining the decision was a result of new technology used at the World Cup. It read: "According to the data provided by Connected Ball Technology housed within the Adidas ball Trionda, the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup, it was proven that contact was made by Croatia's Igor Matanovic in the build up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal."
The statement added: "IMU sensors housed within the Trionda ball are capable of determining any slight contact, displayed to viewers in the broadcast as a 'heartbeat graphic', and allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make fast, accurate decisions."
Match Summary and Next Fixture
Portugal's decisive goal had only come in the 94th minute when Goncalo Ramos produced a clever header from a stunning Rafael Leao cross. Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier netted his first goal in the knockout stages of the World Cup from the penalty spot, cancelling out Ivan Perisic's opener. Portugal will now face Spain in a mouth-watering last-16 encounter on Monday night.
