'If the roles had been reversed' - Furious Luka Modric accuses VAR of double and blasts penalty decision as Croatia controversially crash out vs Portugal

'If the roles had been reversed' - Furious Luka Modric accuses VAR of double and blasts penalty decision as Croatia controversially crash out vs Portugal

Published Jul. 3, 2026 6:57 a.m. ET
GOAL

Croatia left frustrated by controversial decisions

Croatia's World Cup campaign ended in disappointment after a

Modric questions how VAR is being used

The Croatia captain voiced his long-standing concerns about VAR, arguing that the technology is being applied inconsistently. He insisted it should only intervene when officials have made a clear and obvious mistake and suggested Croatia regularly suffer from marginal decisions.

"Yes, we deserved a lot more. Some things didn't go our way," Modric stated, as quoted by

"This is not a penalty. Both players are replaying, pushing, [Nikola] Vlasic did not pull it, he held it and both fell. That is why you cannot judge such a penalty in a match like this. That is why I say, it must be used if the mistake is 200 percent. If you can treat something this way and that, you have no say in it. That annoys me and always works to our detriment."

Disallowed equaliser deepens Croatia's frustration

Modric was equally frustrated by the decision to rule out Croatia's late equaliser. He said the referee told the players that

"He says that Matanovic touched the ball, but we watched the footage, you can't see him touching the ball anywhere. If he doesn't touch the ball, it's not offside," Modric explained.

Croatia left to reflect after painful exit

Croatia must now come to terms with another major tournament disappointment after their World Cup campaign ended earlier. For Modric, the tournament in North America looks set to be his last World Cup, as he will be 44 at the next edition.

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