The referee’s decisions during the Croatia match caused a storm of emotions. Coach Zlatko Dalić does not hide his disappointment after his team’s loss at the 2026 World Cup and openly criticizes the referee’s decisions. Did the referee actually favor Portugal? Below you will find details about the situations that aroused the most controversy.
Disallowed goals and questionable decisions
After an exciting match in which Croatia said goodbye to the 2026 World Cup after a defeat against Portugal, the referee’s decisions caused the biggest stir. Croatia’s coach, Zlatko Dalić, directed the media’s attention to controversial situations, such as the disallowed goal by Josko Gvardiol in the 13th minute of added time and a penalty kick in favor of the rivals after a VAR analysis.
Dalić did not hide his disappointment at the post-match press conference, pointing to the lack of favorable referee decisions for his team. Despite these inconveniences, Dalić acknowledged his team’s defeat, expressing an apology to the fans. At the same time, he emphasized that the refereeing was not at an appropriate level.
Divergent assessments of the arbitrator’s decision
While Dalić saw the referee’s decisions as favoring Portugal, Roberto Martinez, coach of the Portuguese national team, defended the decision of Norwegian referee Espen Eskas. In his opinion, the refereeing was correct and professional.
Dalić also expressed his thoughts on his future as coach and suggested that it may be time for a change. He emphasized that although the current era is coming to an end, his team has achieved spectacular successes over recent years, including the final of the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and third place in Qatar in 2022.
Recognition for rivals and Dalić’s future
Despite the disappointment of the match, Dalić spoke respectfully about the Portugal team, congratulating them on their victory. He added that his team played ambitiously and the players’ commitment left him no room for any accusations.
Zlatko Dalić, coach of the Croatian national team since 2017, also recalled all the team’s achievements under his leadership. Although he has not yet decided about his future as coach, he suggested that this may be a moment for new challenges and changes that may bring further successes.
At the same time, despite the unfavorable result of the match, he emphasized his satisfaction with the work done by his players. Croatia has once again shown that over recent years it has built a strong team with successes on the world’s biggest football stages.
Piala Dunia 2026
Piala Dunia FIFA 2026 akan menjadi edisi paling revolusioner dalam sejarah sepak bola dunia. Turnamen ini untuk pertama kalinya akan diselenggarakan di tiga negara sekaligus, yaitu Amerika Serikat, Kanada, dan Meksiko. Selain itu, jumlah peserta juga meningkat dari 32 menjadi 48 tim, membuka peluang lebih besar bagi negara-negara dari berbagai konfederasi untuk tampil di panggung global. Format baru ini akan menghadirkan lebih banyak pertandingan, atmosfer kompetisi yang lebih luas, serta jangkauan penonton yang semakin besar di seluruh dunia.
Dengan skala yang jauh lebih besar, FIFA menargetkan turnamen ini sebagai ajang yang tidak hanya kompetitif tetapi juga spektakuler dari sisi teknologi dan pengalaman penonton. Stadion-stadion modern di berbagai kota tuan rumah telah dipersiapkan untuk menghadirkan pertandingan berkelas dunia, didukung oleh inovasi seperti peningkatan sistem VAR dan pengalaman digital bagi fans. diprediksi akan menjadi tonggak baru dalam evolusi sepak bola internasional, memperkuat popularitas olahraga ini sekaligus menciptakan momen-momen bersejarah yang akan dikenang dalam waktu lama.
