Croatia's World Cup campaign ended in controversy after a late equalizer was disallowed by FIFA's ball-tracking technology during their match against Portugal at Toronto Stadium.
Josko Gvardiol scored a tap-in in the 103rd minute to seemingly level the score at 2-2, sparking celebrations among the 45,000 spectators.
>>> Q-dance Broadcasts Defqon.1 Endshow on YouTube After Weather Cancellation
However, referee Espen Eskas overturned the goal after a lengthy VAR review.
Television replays initially showed no clear infraction, leaving commentators and viewers puzzled.
The play began with a cross from Ivan Perisic that deflected off Portuguese defender Renato Veiga before reaching Mario Pasalic, who assisted Gvardiol.
While a deflection off an opponent normally resets offside play, the technology revealed a prior touch.
A sensor embedded in the match ball recorded a slight spike in movement data as the ball passed Croatian player Igor Matanovic.
>>> Cruise Ship Captain Questioned After Passenger Falls into Greek Harbor
This confirmed that Matanovic touched the ball before Veiga, meaning Pasalic was offside when the pass was made.
The automated decision left no room for debate and abruptly ended the international career of former Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric, who was seen in tears.
Similar Incident at Euro 2024
The high-tech intervention recalled a similar event from the 2024 European Championship.
In that tournament, Belgium had a late equalizer by Romelu Lukaku disallowed against Slovakia after the ball sensor detected a marginal handball by Loïs Openda during the buildup.
>>> US Appeals Court Limits Migrant Detention to 90 Days Without Bond Hearing
Belgium lost that match and was later eliminated in the round of 16.
