Fifa has explained the VAR decision that ruled out Croatia's late equaliser against Portugal in their 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match on Thursday (2 July), saying Connected Ball Technology confirmed an offside offence during the build-up.
In a statement, Fifa said data from the adidas Trionda, the tournament's official match ball, detected a touch by Croatia forward Igor Matanović before the goal was scored.
"According to the data provided by Connected Ball Technology housed within the adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the Fifa World Cup, it was proven that contact was made by Croatia's #20 Igor Matanović in the build-up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal," Fifa said.
The organisation added that the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors inside the Trionda ball are capable of detecting even the slightest contact.
According to Fifa, the sensor data is displayed during broadcasts through a "heartbeat graphic", providing match officials with additional information to support faster and more accurate offside decisions.
The decision proved decisive, as Portugal held on to secure victory and advance to the Round of 16.
FIFA World Cup 2026 / Portugal football team / Croatia Football Team / VAR
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