Arguably the most controversial match of this tournament, Portugal vs. Croatia’s 2-1 result means soccer fans will get to see Cristiano Ronaldo in a Portuguese shirt at least once more. VAR decisions and penalty calls ended Croatia’s FIFA World Cup dreams. Despite controlling much of the match, they had three offside goal calls while Portugal had one, but the final one sentenced the team to major heartbreak.

The first disallowed goal came in the 56th minute when Croatia thought they had doubled their lead after Ivan Perišić’s opening goal. Nikola Vlašić put the ball into the net and celebrated, but the assistant referee immediately raised the offside flag. VAR quickly checked the replay and confirmed that Vlašić was offside, so the goal was disallowed, and the score remained 1-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal ruled out, too. Portugal was trailing 1-0, and in the 61st minute, Ronaldo controlled a long aerial pass perfectly and lifted the ball over Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. He celebrated because he believed he had scored his first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup knockout match.

However, the assistant referee immediately raised the offside flag, stopping the celebrations. At first, it looked as though Ronaldo was onside. But after reviewing the play, the VAR system showed that Ronaldo’s shoulder was slightly ahead of the last Croatian defender when the pass was played. As a result, the goal was disallowed.

The third disallowed goal came in the 80th minute after Cristiano Ronaldo had equalized from the penalty spot to make the score 1-1. Croatia quickly launched a counter-attack, and Mateo Kovačić played a perfectly timed through ball to Petar Sučić. Sučić calmly finished the chance and thought he had given Croatia a 2-1 lead.

Believing he had scored an important goal, Sučić celebrated by placing the ball under his shirt in a “pregnancy celebration.” However, his celebration lasted only a few seconds. The assistant referee had already raised the offside flag because Sučić had moved just beyond Portugal defender Nuno Mendes before Kovačić played the pass. VAR reviewed the incident and confirmed that Sučić was offside when the ball was passed to him.

The most controversial offside call of the game came in the 103rd minute. Ivan Perišić crossed the ball into Portugal’s penalty area, where several players vied for it. The ball eventually came to Joško Gvardiol, who put it into the net. Croatia’s players and fans celebrated wildly because they thought they had scored a dramatic 2-2 equaliser just before the final whistle.

However, the referee stopped the celebrations and asked VAR to review the goal.

The replay showed that Igor Matanović had made a very slight touch with his head before the ball reached Mario Pašalić, who was offside. The ball then touched Portugal defender Renato Veiga, but the referee decided that Veiga had only accidentally deflected the ball and had not deliberately played it.

But the offside still counted. VAR confirmed the decision, the goal was disallowed, and Portugal kept their 2-1 lead and advanced to the Round of 16.

The decision upset the Croatian fans inside Toronto Stadium. And they showed their frustration by throwing water bottles and soft-drink cans onto the pitch. Because of the objects on the field, the match could not restart immediately. Officials had to stop play and clear the bottles and cans from Portugal’s penalty area before the game could continue.

During the cleanup, Croatian fans loudly booed the referee and the VAR decision to show how disappointed they were. But in the end, it was a win for Portugal. After a chaotic game, Ronaldo’s career is extended by one more game for now.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement confirmed?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s soccer future became a major talking point after his sister, Katia Aveiro, suggested that the 2026 FIFA World Cup could be the last tournament of his career with Portugal. Speaking to Portuguese broadcaster Sport TV, she said she believes Ronaldo’s time with the national team is coming to an end.

“I believe it’s not today that they’ll say goodbye, but it’s coming soon,” Aveiro said. “So enjoy it a lot because it will be difficult to find someone after 200 goals. I’m talking about the Portuguese national team.”

Despite what his sister said, Cristiano Ronaldo did not confirm that he was planning to retire from international football.

“I don’t make reckless decisions. I will decide after the tournament, not now,” Ronaldo said.

But his recent performance adds to the skepticism even more. He did not get many chances in the first half and touched the ball only 17 times. In the 26th minute, he tried to score from a free-kick, but the shot hit the Croatian defensive wall.

Now, his game against Spain will decide what the future holds for Cristiano Ronaldo as his final verdict will come depending on how Portugal’s FIFA World Cup campaign ends.