Croatia's campaign at FIFA World Cup 2026 ended in heartbreak in Toronto, as a last-gasp equaliser from Josko Gvardiol was disallowed by VAR in the 103rd minute, sending Portugal through to a last-16 showdown with Spain.

The round-of-32 tie had already delivered extraordinary drama before that moment. A Cristiano Ronaldo goal was ruled out earlier in the second half, only for the Portugal captain to then step up and convert a penalty to give the Selecao the lead. Goncalo Ramos had pushed Portugal further ahead in the fourth minute of what was a minimum ten-minute stoppage time, appearing to seal Croatia's exit.

The disallowed goal that ended Croatia's World Cup

With elimination staring them down, Croatia appeared to conjure a lifeline when Gvardiol reacted quickest to meet Mario Pasalic's cross and finish inside the Portugal area, sending the Vatreni faithful into wild celebration. Extra time seemed certain.

Premier League official Jarred Gillett immediately triggered a VAR review for a potential offside infringement in the build-up. Referee Espen Eskas was directed to the pitchside monitor, and after studying the replay, chalked the goal off.

The key moment centred on Pasalic receiving the ball via a slight deflection off the head of Igor Matanovic. That deflection was deemed insufficient to play Pasalic onside, and the goal was disallowed for offside.

A match full of controversy

It was not the first VAR controversy of the night. Earlier, Matanovic had appeared to double Croatia's lead following Ivan Perisic's opener, but that effort was also flagged for offside — this time attributed to Nikola Vlasic. Vlasic, the Torino playmaker, was later the one who conceded the penalty that Ronaldo converted, having held Renato Veiga in the area.