Modric blasts VAR after Croatia's controversial World Cup exit against Portugal

Luka Modric launched a fierce attack on VAR after Croatia were knocked out of the World Cup at the round of 32, losing 2-1 to Portugal in a match shaped by two disputed video review calls.

Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic in the second half, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to equalise from the penalty spot after VAR ruled that Nikola Vlasic had fouled Renato Viega in the box. Portugal then snatched the winner through Goncalo Ramos in the fourth minute of added time. Croatia’s hopes of levelling were extinguished moments later when Josko Gvardiol’s goal was ruled out for offside — a decision hinging on the slightest of touches from Igor Matanovic on a cross that had fallen to the offside Mario Pasalic in the build-up. Several Croatian players were left inconsolable on the pitch at the final whistle.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Modric was measured about Croatia’s overall performance but unsparing about the officiating. “In the second half we played a phenomenal game,” he said, via Sportske Novosti. “We could have easily finished it earlier, but we didn’t manage it. We missed, and then some things happened that are unbelievable to me.”

On the disallowed equaliser, Modric disputed the factual basis of the call entirely. “He says Matanović touched the ball, but we watched the footage — there’s no evidence that he touched the ball. If he doesn’t touch the ball, it’s not offside.”

The 39-year-old reserved his sharpest words for the penalty awarded to Portugal, arguing the decision reflected a broader inconsistency in how VAR is applied. “Some things didn’t go our way. That penalty — if it were the other way around, VAR would never have been involved,” he said.

“I said about VAR in the beginning, when it was first introduced, that I didn’t like it. Later, over time, it’s good for some things, but they use it incorrectly or selectively, or depending on the size of the team. VAR should intervene if it’s 200 per cent a mistake, but if it’s in the grey zone, you have no say in it. There’s no point in calling VAR.”

Modric added that the penalty call itself did not meet the threshold for intervention. “Both teams are replaying, pushing — Vlašić didn’t pull it, he held it, and both of them fell. That’s why you can’t judge a penalty like that in a game like this.”

The defeat ends Croatia’s tournament and, potentially, the international careers of several members of the generation that reached the 2018 World Cup final.