Ibrahimović and Henry believe Croatia were wronged: "The referee and VAR made the wrong decision"

Portugal defeated Croatia 2&ndash;1 to advance to the Round of 16 at the World Cup.Croatia came close to forcing extra time when Jo&scaron;ko Gvardiol headed in what looked like a 2&ndash;2 equalizer deep into stoppage time, but after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside.Ibrahimović expressed his opinion on Croatia&rsquo;s disallowed goal, saying they were wronged.&ldquo;For me, that is a goal. Football is about what actually happens on the pitch, and when I looked at the replay again, I saw the ball bounced off a Portuguese defender before it reached the Croatian attacker. That changes everything. If there is an intentional touch or a clear deflection that resets the phase of play, then you cannot punish the attacker for being in that position,&rdquo; Ibrahimović said, adding:&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why VAR exists &ndash; to correct clear mistakes, not to create even more controversy. I think they made the wrong decision today. Anyone watching could see there was contact from the Portuguese player before the ball reached the Croatian attacker. In my opinion, the goal should have stood. When you make decisions like this in the final minutes of a knockout match, you are deciding a team&rsquo;s fate. You have to be absolutely certain. For me, this was not offside &ndash; it was a valid goal.&rdquo;With Zlatan Ibrahimović in the studio was legendary Thierry Henry.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand the decision,&rdquo; Henry said, adding:&ldquo;In my opinion, the referee and VAR ruined what should have been one of the greatest moments of the World Cup. You cannot disallow such an important goal unless the evidence is completely clear. I watched the replay several times and I don&rsquo;t see anything that would allow me to say with certainty that Matanović touched the ball. When it takes so long to draw lines and freeze frames, then it is not obvious. The referee allowed technology to become the star of the match.&rdquo;Henry believes Croatia were heavily wronged:&ldquo;Croatia thought they had reached a dramatic equalizer through courage and determination, only for it to be taken away by a decision that will be debated for years. This is exactly why people are losing faith in VAR. Instead of correcting clear mistakes, we are getting microscopic judgments that nobody in the stadium can understand. That is not what football should be. I feel for the Croatian players because moments like this stay with you forever. You celebrate, you believe your World Cup dream is still alive, and then it is taken away in an instant. In my opinion, the referee and VAR made a completely wrong decision.&rdquo;

Ibrahimović and Henry believe Croatia were wronged: "The referee and VAR made the wrong decision"

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