Overview
- Referee Erik Lambrechts showed Ivan Perišić a second yellow and sent him off after contact with Marc Cucurella, and the VAR review did not overturn the on-field decision.
- Cucurella immediately rose, gestured forcefully and demanded a card, a behavior commentators called provocative that drew loud jeers from the Poljud crowd.
- The episode, which occurred on Tuesday in Split, triggered sharp criticism from Croatia coach Slaven Bilić, pundits and public figures including Boris Becker.
- Spain converted the numerical advantage into a late 2-1 win when Mikel Merino scored, preserving Spain’s competitive unbeaten run that dates back to March 2023.
- The incident sharpens focus on player gamesmanship, the narrow scope of VAR intervention and the reputational fallout for Cucurella after his high-profile handball episode at Euro 2024.