Portugal advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory over Croatia in Toronto, eliminating the 2018 finalists in a match that pivoted on two video reviews and a microchip inside the ball. The decisive sequence arrived in the 102nd minute, when Josko Gvardiol turned in a cross to seemingly force extra time. The goal was disallowed after the Video Assistant Referee determined that Mario Pasalic, who provided the assist, was offside — a position triggered only because a sensor in the Adidas Trionda ball registered a faint touch from Igor Matanovic’s head, imperceptible in broadcast replays.

The contest had already swung on technology. Ivan Perisic gave Croatia the lead in the 53rd minute, but Portugal levelled after a VAR review led to a penalty for Nikola Vlasic’s grappling with Renato Veiga; Cristiano Ronaldo converted. Gonçalo Ramos then struck in the 94th minute to put Portugal ahead, before the late drama. FIFA later issued a statement explaining that the Connected Ball’s inertial measurement unit detected the contact, providing officials with a “heartbeat graphic” to confirm the offside. Spanish media noted that the same semi-automated system had earlier ruled out goals for both Ronaldo and Croatia’s Luka Sucic by millimetres.

Luka Modric, the Croatia captain, delivered a pointed critique in the mixed zone. “The VAR should only intervene for 200% errors,” he said, a phrase carried by outlets from Buenos Aires to São Paulo. He argued the penalty was soft — “both players were holding each other” — and that the disallowed goal lacked visible proof. “They use it badly, or selectively, or depending on the size of the team,” Modric added, a sentiment widely reported in the Spanish and Argentine press. He also expressed pride in his side’s resilience, calling it “the Croatia everyone knows.” The evening carried an emotional undercurrent: Ronaldo and Modric, both 40, embraced at full-time, and the Portuguese squad paid tribute to Diogo Jota on the first anniversary of his death in a car accident.

Viewed from Madrid, the controversy reignited a debate about the threshold for technological intervention. South American analysts highlighted Modric’s claim that the VAR was not designed for marginal, “grey-zone” decisions. The result sets up a quarter-final between Portugal and Spain, while Croatia depart the tournament with their captain declining to clarify his international future. “Today is not the day for that,” Modric said.