The decision has been called one of, if not the biggest, VAR decision in World Cup history. Whatever you call it, the event left Croatia heartbroken and Portugal thanking its lucky stars.
But what exactly happened in the round of 16 match last night? And how did new technology in the World Cup ball help determine the outcome? Let’s unpack it all here.
Firstly, about the game itself. Portugal had just scored with a last-gasp header to make it 2-1 going into stoppage time late in the match. Goncalo Ramos’ goal ultimately saw his side play Spain in the next round… but not before more drama ensued.
⚽️ subscribe to the beautiful game from cnn Sports ⚽️
- CNN Sports brings you behind-the-scenes World Cup coverage, expert analysis and the biggest storylines of the day. Click here to sign up for the newsletter (it’s free!).
As the clock passed the 103rd minute of the match – yes, you read that right – Fiery We thought we had equalized when Josko Guardiol sent the ball over the line. It was a moment that delighted Croatian players and fans and stunned Portugal.
But just as the game looked to be heading into extra time, the referee indicated that the video assistant referee (VAR) was reviewing a possible offside in the build-up to goal. Long story short, the goal was disallowed for offside. Choice advanced to the 1/8 finals. But there was many there’s more to this story than just that.
The goal was disallowed because Croatia international Mario Pasalic was in an offside position before passing the ball to would-be goalscorer Guardiola.
Pasalic sent the ball across the goal after a cross from the flank. When he was crossed, Pasalic was in the game.
But on the way to him the ball almost touched teammate Igor Matanovic. That tiny brush from his head – maybe even the ends of his hair – meant Pasalic was offside and the goal was rightly ruled out.
You may have noticed that the ball came off the Portuguese defender as well, but the touch didn’t matter because it wasn’t intentional.
To Croatia’s disappointment, the slightest touch from Matanovic was barely noticeable to the naked eye. In previous World Cups this would probably have been given as a goal. But this year FIFA introduced new technology.
Simply put, the technology involves placing a sensor inside the ball itself that recognizes every touch, no matter how small. It then sends this data in real time to help VAR officials make the right decisions. This is similar to technology that is common in sports such as cricket, but has only recently been introduced to football.
FIFA was quick to release a statement explaining what happened, saying Matanovic had “proven” contact that allowed the referee to “correctly call offside.”
The governing body will no doubt view this as a major win for their new Trionda ball, which has received some criticism for its unnaturally fast movement.
“IMU sensors located inside the Trionda ball are capable of detecting any minor contact, displayed to viewers during the broadcast as a ‘heartbeat graph’, providing officials with an unprecedented level of data to make quick and accurate decisions,” FIFA said.
Interestingly, the NBA announced yesterday that it will be testing a ball with a built-in sensor during its upcoming summer leagues.
Despite the right decision, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic was far from happy, saying VAR had ruined the spirit of the game. Croatia fans also threw bottles onto the pitch, delaying the restart of the match.
“It kills the emotions. It kills everything inside of you,” Dalic said, according to TNT Sports. “It kills what you are experiencing and then takes you back to the beginning.
“It’s not easy to deal with all this. Football should be fair and decisions should be fair, but we’ve gone too far with VAR.”
It’s safe to say that Portugal coach Roberto Martinez had a different opinion.
“The idea is very clear,” he said after the game. “The balls are now chipped and it’s clear why VAR intervened. It’s not a subjective opinion.”
In this case, Martinez is right. But that won’t help anyone associated with Croatia this morning – or some of the neutrals who decry too much technology in The Beautiful Game.