Retired Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has stated that Croatia faced an unfair outcome during their 2026 World Cup round-of-32 match against Portugal. Portugal secured a 2-1 victory, but the conclusion of the match was marred by the reversal of a late Croatian goal.
Josko Gvardiol appeared to score an equalizer to make the match 2-2, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened. FIFA officials stated that Connected Ball Technology detected a slight contact from Igor Matanovic, leading to the goal being annulled for offside.
In an interview with Gazzetta, Ibrahimovic expressed his frustration with the officiating process. He argued that the technology likely malfunctioned, insisting that Renato Veiga was the player who touched the ball rather than Matanovic. He concluded that the decision was a mistake that significantly impacted the result of an otherwise high-quality encounter.
