FIFA clarifies VAR decision that denied Croatia late equaliser against Portugal
Toronto, July 3
FIFA has explained why Croatia's dramatic stoppage-time equaliser against Portugal was disallowed after a VAR review in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash.
The governing body revealed that Connected Ball Technology detected the slightest touch from striker Igor Matanovic in the build-up, enabling officials to confirm an offside offence and preserve Portugal's 2-1 victory.
Portugal sealed qualification when Goncalo Ramos headed them into a 2-1 lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time. However, Croatia believed they had forced extra time nine minutes later when Josko Gvardiol found the back of the net, sparking jubilant celebrations.
The goal was initially awarded as it appeared Matanovic had not made contact with Ivan Perisic's cross before Mario Pasalic became involved in the move. But referee Espen Eskas was called to the pitchside monitor after Connected Ball Technology registered a slight touch from Matanovic, reportedly as minimal as a brush off his hair.
According to Goal.com, the contact was not visible in television replays, but it proved decisive. The touch meant Pasalic had received the ball from a teammate while in an offside position before setting up Gvardiol, prompting the goal to be overturned and ending Croatia's hopes of a comeback.
Following the match, FIFA issued a statement on X explaining the decision. The world governing body said the sensor embedded inside the official Adidas Trionda match ball detected the crucial touch by Matanovic, providing objective data that supported the VAR review and confirmed the offside offence.
"According to the data provided by Connected Ball Technology housed within the @adidasfootball Trionda, the official match ball of the @FIFAWorldCup, it was proven that contact was made by Croatia's #20 Igor Matanovic in the build-up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal," FIFA wrote in an X post.
"IMU sensors housed within the Trionda ball are capable of determining any slight contact, displayed to viewers in the broadcast as a 'heartbeat graphic', and allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make fast, accurate decisions," the statement continued.
The decision was based on FIFA's Connected Ball Technology, which detected the slightest touch on the ball by Igor Matanovic during the build-up. Although the contact was too subtle to be seen with the naked eye or captured clearly in conventional television replays, the sensor embedded inside the ball generated precise data that enabled VAR officials to confirm the touch and accurately rule an offside offence.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who follows global football from the US, I think this is actually a step forward. The technology worked exactly as intended - objective data over subjective interpretation. Croatia fans are rightly upset though. Gotta feel for them.
Imagine being a Croatian player - you score the equaliser in World Cup knockout, run wild with joy, and then the ref calls it back because of a hair touch detected by a sensor. Should have been a goal, bhai. Football is a contact sport after all.
The "heartbeat graphic" is cool tech, but this feels like a slippery slope. What's next - sensors to detect if the ball touches a player's eyelash? The spirit of the game matters. Disallowing a goal for contact so minimal it's invisible is harsh.
From Canada here - this is why we need clear rules. The tech detected contact, so offside is correct. But maybe FIFA should standardise what constitutes "significant contact" for affecting play. A hair touch seems borderline ridiculous to penalise.
Cricket has been using ball-tracking tech for years. Football is catching up. The decision is technically correct but it's a bitter pill. If this happened to India's national team, the whole country would be debating it for weeks! 😤
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