The heartbreaking departure of Croatia from FIFA World Cup 2026 against Portugal came down to one of the most dramatic VAR decisions of the tournament, with FIFA later explaining that advanced ball technology played a key role in ruling out the equalizer in stoppage time.Croatia appeared to have made it 2-2 in the 103rd minute of the Round of 16 match in Toronto when Joško Guardiol scored from close range after a cross into the box. The goal sparked wild celebrations before VAR intervened and disallowed it for offside. The controversy revolved around whether Croatian striker Igor Matanović came into contact with the ball before it reached Marijo Pašalić, who was standing in the backfield. At first it appeared that Pasalic received the ball after a rebound from Portuguese defender Renato Veiga, which would have kept the goal alive. However, VAR determined that Matanović made a soft touch moments earlier.
How ball technology decided Croatia’s fate
According to the decision, Pašalić was in the backfield when Matanović came into contact with the ball, which means that his assist for Guardiola did not last.FIFA later confirmed that the crucial touch was detected using the Connected Ball technology installed inside the Adidas Trionda official match ball.“According to data provided by the Connected Ball Technology inside the @adidasfootball Trionda, the official ball for the @FIFAWorldCup match, it was proven that Croatian number 20 Igor Matanović made contact in the build-up to a goal against Portugal, which allowed the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal.“The IMU sensors located in the Trionda ball are capable of detecting every light contact, displayed to viewers on the broadcast as a ‘heartbeat graphic’, and allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make quick and accurate decisions,” FIFA Media on X announced.Croatia took the lead through Ivan Perišić early in the second half before Cristiano Ronaldo equalized with his third goal of the tournament. Goncalo Ramos then scored the winner in stoppage time, heading in Rafael Leao’s cross to send Portugal into the last 16.
