Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined the growing list of football personalities questioning the controversial VAR decision that denied Croatia a dramatic equaliser against Portugal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32.
The Swedish legend did not mince his words while reacting to the incident, branding the decision "a robbery" after Croatia's stoppage-time goal was ruled out following a lengthy VAR review.
The decision ultimately proved decisive as Portugal held on to secure a 2-1 victory and book their place in the Round of 16.
Also Read: Argentina scripts FIFA World Cup record with hard-fought win over Cape Verde
Zlatan Ibrahimovic labels Croatia's disallowed goal "a robbery"
Portugal looked to have sealed qualification after Goncalo Ramos scored a dramatic 94th-minute winner.
However, Croatia believed they had forced extra time when Josko Gvardiol bundled the ball home deep into stoppage time.
The celebrations were cut short after the Video Assistant Referee intervened, with FIFA later explaining that Connected Ball Technology detected a slight touch from Igor Matanovic in the build-up, resulting in Mario Pasalic being deemed offside.
Despite FIFA's explanation, broadcast replays left many unconvinced, and Ibrahimovic was among those who strongly disagreed with the verdict.
Speaking to Gazzetta, the former Sweden international said:
"It was a fantastic match ruined in the end by VAR. I saw nothing irregular about the 2-2 goal; VAR disallowed it, but for me, it was a robbery. Either the sensor in the ball wasn't working or something went wrong, because Renato Veiga touched the ball, which means there was no offside."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic also questioned the reliability of the technology used, insisting that such a decisive call in the closing moments of a FIFA World Cup knockout match required absolute certainty.
The former striker went a step further by suggesting that football authorities preferred to keep Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the competition, with a potential Round of 16 showdown against Spain attracting significant attention.
Croatia's World Cup journey ends in heartbreaking fashion
Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Perisic before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot to register his first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout-stage goal. Ramos then appeared to send Portugal through with his late strike before Gvardiol thought he had rescued Croatia with an equaliser in the 103rd minute.
Also Read: Remarkable story of Cape Verde: Archipelago nation that stunned the world at FIFA World Cup 2026
Instead, the goal was ruled out after the VAR review, ending Luka Modric's final FIFA World Cup campaign heartbreakingly and triggering widespread debate over the use of Connected Ball Technology. The controversial decision has remained one of the tournament's biggest talking points, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic's criticism adding further fuel to the ongoing discussion surrounding VAR and technology in football.