FIFA clarifies Croatia's 90+13th minute goal disallowed

FIFA has officially clarified its decision to disallow a goal scored by Croatia in the 90th+13th minute of the 2026 World Cup 1/16 finals between Croatia and Portugal (1:2), upholding the actions of Norwegian referee Espen Eskos.

In added time of the match in Toronto, Croatian defender Joško Guardiola scored the equalizer. However, the referee, having resorted to the help of the VAR system, disallowed the goal, recording an offside situation. It turned out that Mario Pasalić was in an offside position before the ball reached Guardiola, and the ball was passed to him after a touch from striker Igor Matanović, who was in an aerial duel with an opponent.

“According to the data of the Connected Ball Technology system built into the official ball of the 2026 World Cup, it was confirmed that during the goal attack, Igor Matanović, wearing the number 20 jersey of the Croatian national team, touched the ball. This information allowed the referee to correctly record the offside situation and cancel the goal.”

The organization also detailed that the inertial measurement (IMU) sensors installed inside the ball are capable of recording even the slightest touch. During the broadcast, such episodes are shown in the form of a “heartbeat” through graphic animation, which gives the referees ultra-precise data to make prompt and accurate decisions.

It should be recalled that after this defeat, the Croatian national team left the tournament in the 1/16 finals, despite reaching the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and playing in the final in 2018.

As for the Portuguese national team, it will compete with the Spanish national team in the 1/8 finals. The Pyrenean derby will be held on July 6 in Dallas, USA, and will start at 23:00 Yerevan time.