By Favour Raphael
Former Sweden striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has criticised the decision to disallow Croatia’s late equaliser in their Round of 32 clash against Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing it as “a robbery.”
Portugal secured a 2-1 victory to advance to the next round, but the match ended in controversy after Croatia had what appeared to be a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
Goncalo Ramos had restored Portugal’s lead before Josko Gvardiol bundled the ball into the net to seemingly make it 2-2.
However, after a lengthy review, VAR disallowed the goal. FIFA said Connected Ball Technology detected a slight touch from Croatia’s Igor Matanovic, leading to an offside decision.
Reacting to the incident, Ibrahimovic questioned the decision, insisting there was nothing wrong with the goal.
“It was a fantastic match ruined in the end by VAR,” he told Gazzetta.
“I saw nothing irregular about the 2-2 goal. VAR disallowed it, but for me, it was a robbery.
“Either the sensor in the ball wasn’t working or something went wrong because Renato Veiga touched the ball, which means there was no offside.
“Look at the angle. Croatia’s number 20 doesn’t touch the ball or change its trajectory. It’s Portugal’s number 13, Renato Veiga, who touches it,” Ibrahimovic said.
The decision has continued to generate debate among football fans and pundits, with many questioning the application of VAR and Connected Ball Technology during the crucial World Cup encounter.
