- Croatia believed they had scored a 103rd-minute equaliser against Portugal in their World Cup clash on Thursday.
- Ivan Perisic had put Croatia head in the 53rd minute before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot 15 minutes later, and then Goncalo Ramos made it 2-1 to Portugal with a powerful header in the 94th minute.
- In the 103rd minute, Perisic’s cross found its way through to Mario Pasalic, and the ball hit the Croatia midfielder before being touched home by Josko Gvardiol.
- However, a VAR check which used “snickometer” technology, similar to that seen in cricket, determined that Croatia’s Igor Matanovic flicked the ball on to Pasalic, who was offside when the touch was made by his teammate before being deflected into his path by Portugal defender Renato Veiga.
- The referee was called over to the pitchside monitor, and he decided that Veiga’s touch after Matanovic’s flick was not deliberate, leading to the goal being ruled out for offside.
Why Croatia’s 103rd-minute equaliser against Portugal was disallowed by VAR

The Independent
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