Former Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic has criticised the decision to disallow Croatia’s late equaliser against Portugal in their FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash, insisting the Balkan nation was unfairly denied a legitimate goal.

Portugal secured a 2-1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals, but the match ended amid controversy after Croatia thought they had restored parity in the closing stages.

Josko Gvardiol appeared to score what would have been a dramatic equaliser, only for the effort to be ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.

FIFA explained that Connected Ball Technology detected a slight touch from Croatia’s Igor Matanovic before the ball reached Gvardiol, leading officials to judge the goal offside.

However, Ibrahimovic strongly disagreed with the ruling, arguing that the decision was incorrect based on what he observed during the replay.

Speaking after the game, the former striker questioned whether the technology functioned properly, insisting that Portugal defender Renato Veiga was the player who made contact with the ball rather than Matanovic.

According to Ibrahimovic, there was nothing in the incident that should have resulted in the goal being cancelled.

He maintained that Croatia had every reason to feel hard done by, describing the outcome as deeply unfair.

The controversial decision has sparked widespread debate among football fans and pundits, with many discussing the growing influence of technology in officiating major tournaments.

Despite the disputed finish, Portugal held on to claim victory and book their place in the next round, while Croatia’s World Cup journey came to a disappointing end following the dramatic conclusion to an entertaining encounter.