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Portugal coach praises referee after World Cup win over Croatia
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Sports

Portugal coach praises referee after World Cup win over Croatia

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in a World Cup round of 32 match, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a penalty and Goncalo Ramos netting a late winner.
  • Croatia had a potential equalizer ruled offside by VAR in the final moments, leading to debris being thrown onto the pitch by their supporters.
  • Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised the referee's decisions, including the penalty and the offside call, while Croatia's coach Zlatko Dalic expressed dissatisfaction with the officiating.

Portugal secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the World Cup's round of 32, with coach Roberto Martinez praising the referee's crucial decisions that favored his team. The match saw Cristiano Ronaldo convert a penalty, awarded after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, to equalize Ivan Perisic's opening goal. Goncalo Ramos then scored a header in stoppage time to clinch the win for Portugal.

There were no bad decisions. Today we were fortunate.

— Roberto MartinezResponding to questions about VAR decisions that disallowed a Croatian equalizer and awarded Portugal a penalty.

Croatia appeared to have found a last-gasp equalizer, but the goal was disallowed following another VAR review for offside. This decision prompted an angry reaction from Croatia's supporters, who threw debris onto the pitch at Toronto Stadium. "There were no bad decisions. Today we were fortunate," Martinez commented when asked about the disallowed goal, adding that the VAR review clearly showed an offside position and the penalty was also clear. He expressed sympathy for Croatia's coach, Zlatko Dalic, acknowledging the difficult position of having only one winner in such a closely contested match.

The chip ball showed that it was offside, the penalty was also clear.

— Roberto MartinezJustifying the referee's key decisions during the match against Croatia.

Dalic, however, held a different view, voicing his unhappiness with what he termed "bad refereeing." Despite the controversy, Portugal is set to face Spain in the round of 16. Martinez anticipates a high-quality encounter between the two European powerhouses, describing it as "the European game of this World Cup."

I understand the work of (Croatia coach Zlatko) Dalic in this team and it is shame that there was only one winner today.

— Roberto MartinezExpressing empathy for the opposing coach after a close match.

Reflecting on the pressure of such critical games, Martinez shared his strategy for managing nerves. He emphasized the importance of remaining rational and calm, though he admitted the emotional toll of the match had cost him some hair, which he deemed "worth it."

We respect the quality of Spain. I think it is going to be a fantastic match, it is going to be the European game of this World Cup.

— Roberto MartinezLooking ahead to Portugal's next match against Spain in the World Cup.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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