Luka Modrić blames VAR after Croatia’s World Cup defeat to Portugal

Croatia captain Luka Modrić accused the video‑assistant referee system of favoritism toward larger nations following his team’s 2‑1 loss to Portugal in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 in Toronto on July 2, 2026. He contested the penalty awarded to Portugal after a challenge between Nikola Vlašić and Renato Veiga, saying, “That penalty… If it were the other way around, VAR would never have been included.”

Modrić also disputed a later disallowed equaliser, arguing that Igor Matanović never touched the ball and that the off‑side call was incorrect. He said, “He says that Matanović 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 off‑side.” The defeat eliminated Croatia from the tournament and is likely to mark the end of Modrić’s World Cup career.