Croatian Igor Matanovic (20 years old) heads the ball during the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia (left), and Cristiano Ronaldo. (AFP)_
Cristiano Ronaldo will play at least one more World Cup match for Portugal after his side beat Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32, with technology playing a crucial role in the final moments of the match.Portugal achieved victory through a penalty kick executed by Ronaldo and a header from Goncalo Ramos in stoppage time. But the biggest talking point came in the final minutes when Croatia had a late equalizer disallowed after a VAR review.Croatia thought they had to go to extra time when Jusko Gvardiol scored from close range in the 13th minute of stoppage time.However, the goal was disallowed after the VAR reviewed whether the ball had struck Igor Matanovic before reaching another Croatian player who was standing in an offside position.The decision was based on the technology embedded in the match ball.Each Adidas Trionda ball used in the World Cup contains a microchip that records every touch using a motion sensor. The system showed that there was slight contact with Matanovic before the ball reached his teammate, putting the receiving player in an offside position.
It seemed to many on the field that Matanovic did not touch the ball. The decision caused frustration among Croatian players, while many fans wondered how technology would affect the game.
Television viewers were shown the footage being reviewed. The replay looked blurry, but sensor data showed a small spike indicating contact with the ball.Norwegian referee Espen Eskas watched several replays before ruling out the goal. It proved to be almost the final action of the match.The decision led to angry scenes inside the stadium, with Croatia supporters throwing plastic bottles on the field as their World Cup campaign ended.SNICO, the technology used to detect contact with the ball, made its debut in football during the 2022 World Cup. However, it has rarely been used to identify such an important moment in a match.The microchip inside the ball provides real-time data on the ball’s movement, speed, trajectory and every touch made by the players.The technology is more familiar to cricket fans. Snicko is regularly used during cricket matches to determine whether a batsman has pushed the ball to the wicket-keeper or fielders slip when it is difficult for the umpire to judge by sight and sound alone.By slowing down the footage and matching it with audio and sensor data, officials can make a clearer decision.Snicko was invented by English computer scientist Alan Plaskett in the mid-1990s and was first introduced on Channel 4 cricket programs in 1999.