'We were fortunate': Martinez defends VAR review; Croatia coach laments 'bad refereeing'

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez defended the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions that shaped his side's dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, while Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic criticised the officiating but refused to blame it entirely for his team's exit.Portugal booked their place in the Round of 16 after coming from behind to beat Croatia in Toronto, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring from the penalty spot before substitute Goncalo Ramos headed home a stoppage-time winner. The match was overshadowed by a series of VAR interventions, including the disallowing of two Croatian goals for offside.Speaking after the match, Martinez rejected suggestions that Croatia had been unfairly denied a dramatic late equaliser."There were no bad decisions. Today we were fortunate," Martinez said when asked if Croatia had been robbed of a second goal by VAR."The chip ball showed that it was offside, the penalty was also clear. I understand the work of (Croatia coach Zlatko) Dalic in this team and it is a shame that there was only one winner today," he added.The Portugal coach also looked ahead to his team's Round of 16 clash against Spain, predicting a high-quality encounter."We respect the quality of Spain. I think it is going to be a fantastic match, it is going to be the European game of this World Cup," Martinez said.Reflecting on the dramatic nature of the contest, he added: "I have lost my hair through this, but I think it is worth it."Dalic, meanwhile, expressed frustration with the officiating, believing Croatia were denied important decisions during the match."It was very bad refereeing," Dalic said, adding that Croatia "should have been given more free kicks."However, the Croatia manager stopped short of using the refereeing as an excuse for his side's elimination."But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses," he said. "We could have won this earlier."Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic, who became the country's all-time leading World Cup scorer, before Ronaldo's penalty brought Portugal level. Ramos' late winner ultimately sealed Portugal's progress and potentially brought an end to Luka Modric's World Cup career.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.