Croatian Press Cries "Robbery," Quips: "If Matanovic Were Bald..."

Portugal's 2-1 victory over Croatia in the World Cup Round of 16, which secured their qualification, drew sharp criticism from the Croatian press. While pride in Modric and his teammates' effort was evident, frustration also boiled over, with harsh critiques aimed at the officiating.

The primary source of outrage was the disallowed Gvardiol goal in the 13th minute of stoppage time, which would have leveled the score at 2-2 and forced extra time. Although initially validated by the referee, VAR intervened, indicating that Matanovic had touched the ball before it reached Gvardiol, placing the City player in an offside position.

"Croatia was deliberately robbed," wrote the daily Vecernji list, adding that "Norwegian referee Espen Eskas was biased from start to finish." The paper further claimed that "not a single dubious foul, nor a single questionable stoppage, was called in favor of Croatia — all the debatable decisions, and there were many, went Portugal's way."

Meanwhile, Gol.dnevnik.hr analyzed the play in detail with a touch of irony: "Sensors showed that the system registered a touch from the Croatian forward, which was VAR's key argument for disallowing the goal. In those images, it appears he only touched the ball with his hair. Well, if Matanovic were bald, Croatia would have equalized."