CROATIA COACH BLASTS REFEREE AFTER VAR DRAMA-FILLED FIFA WORLD CUP EXIT IN PORTUGAL DEFEAT

"It was very bad refereeing," Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said, adding that Croatia "should have been given more free kicks.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic with Luka Modric© AFP

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has criticised the refereeing in his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 defeat to Portugal, calling it "very bad refereeing," while also acknowledging that his team cannot use the officiating as an excuse for their elimination, according to Reuters. The comments came after Croatia's 2-1 defeat to Portugal in a tightly contested knockout match, which ended their campaign at the tournament. The result saw Portugal advance to the Round of 16, while Croatia exited after failing to convert several key chances.

Speaking after the match, Dalic said he believed Croatia were denied several free-kick decisions that could have influenced the flow of the game. He expressed frustration over key moments he felt went against his side but maintained that the result ultimately came down to Croatia's own shortcomings in front of goal.

"It was very bad refereeing," Dalic said, adding that Croatia "should have been given more free kicks," according to Reuters.

However, the Croatia coach was quick to temper his criticism, stressing that his team must take responsibility for the defeat. "But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses," he said, as quoted by Reuters. "We could have won this earlier."

Portugal recovered from an early setback to register a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32. Substitute Goncalo Ramos emerged as the match-winner by heading home a stoppage-time goal to send Roberto Martinez's side into the Round of 16.

Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country's all-time leading World Cup scorer, before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot after a VAR review.

Croatia had two goals ruled out for offside, including a late equaliser deep into stoppage time, as Portugal held on to set up an all-Iberian Round of 16 clash against Spain. The match also marked the end of Luka Modric's potential World Cup career.

- ANI