Things got heated at the end of the FIFA World Cup match between Portugal and Croatia on Thursday night — and a day later, fans still aren’t holding back.
Ivana Knoll, a Croatian DJ/influencer who has been dubbed the World Cup’s “sexiest fan,” was among those in attendance at Toronto Stadium for the tense Round of 32 matchup.
She shared several pictures and videos from the match, including during the final minutes, when Croatia had thought it had tied the game.
However, after a VAR review, it was ruled that a Croatian attacker was offside — after the ball crossed into the box and grazed the hair of another Croatian player.
The decision by the officials sparked near-riotous behaviour, with the Croatian supporter section in the south stands of the stadium littering the field with water bottles, beer cans and other debris for several minutes.
What did FIFA say about the goal?
The VAR decision went viral, becoming the overwhelming talking point on social media.
Hours after the match ended, FIFA released an official statement clarifying the ruling, saying that “according to the data provided by Connected Ball Technology housed within the Trionda … it was proven that contact was made by Croatia’s #20 Igor Matanović in the build up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal.”
While the call may have been justified and correct, it didn’t erase the heartbreak for Croatian fans, though.
What did the viral World Cup fan say?
Knoll was one of the fans beyond frustrated by the heartbreaking turn of events and posted her displeasure with referee Espen Eskas, who announced the controversial call.
“This was so sad,” she posted with a clip of the decision being announced to the 43,036 fans at Toronto Stadium.
WARNING: Language
“Norwegian referee you did such a s*** job,” she wrote alongside a video of fans throwing objects onto the field, adding a middle finger emoji.
She also posted a fan recreation of the controversially disallowed goal, which showed the ball lightly brushing a player’s hair and causing the offside call.
Knoll, who performs under the name Knolldoll, has been in attendance at every Croatia match so far this Cup, backing her home country — and looking good doing it.
What does Ivana Knoll think about Cristiano Ronaldo?
This was her second trip to Toronto during the summer tournament and, despite the result on Thursday night, she at least had the opportunity to watch Cristiano Ronaldo take to the pitch for one of his final matches.
During an interview with the Toronto Sun prior to Thursday’s match, Knoll praised the Portuguese superstar, hailing him as the best soccer player ever.
“He’s definitely the best player,” Knoll proclaimed of the 41-year-old Portuguese star. “He’s the best player ever in history. There’s nobody close.
“I don’t care what people think.”
That statement makes her answer to the never-ending debate of Ronaldo vs. Argentina legend Lionel Messi an easy one, but what about CR7 against her home nation’s legend, Luka Modric?
“That’s impossible to compare because they play such different positions,” Knoll noted, while also praising Modric for the impact he has made on the Croatian national team.
With Croatia’s loss, Modric’s professional career is likely at an end. There had been reports last month that the 40-year-old midfield maestro was leaning towards retirement after his club, AC Milan, failed to earn a Champions League berth for next season.
After Thursday’s match, Ronaldo had nothing but kind words for Modric, a former teammate at Real Madrid.
“I spoke with him, he’s a legend of football,” Ronaldo said. “I played so many years together with him at Real Madrid.
“I wish him all the best and I hope he continues to play.”