Cristiano Ronaldo will play at least one more FIFA World Cup match for Portugal after his side edged past Croatia 2-1 in the round of 32, with technology playing a decisive role in the closing moments of the match.Portugal secured victory through Ronaldo’s penalty and a stoppage-time header from Goncalo Ramos. But the biggest talking point came in the closing minutes when Croatia had a late equaliser ruled out after a VAR review.Croatia believed they had forced extra time when Josko Gvardiol scored from close range in the 13th minute of stoppage time.However, the goal was disallowed after VAR reviewed whether the ball had made contact with Igor Matanovic before reaching another Croatian player who was standing in an offside position.The decision depended on technology built into the match ball.Each Adidas Trionda ball used at the World Cup contains a microchip that records every touch using a motion sensor. The system showed there had been slight contact with Matanovic before the ball reached his teammate, making the receiving player offside.To many watching in the stadium, it appeared that Matanovic had not touched the ball. The decision left Croatia’s players frustrated, while many fans questioned how much influence technology should have on the game.Television viewers were shown the footage being reviewed. The replay looked unclear, but the sensor data showed a small spike indicating contact with the ball.Norwegian referee Espen Eskas watched multiple 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 onto the pitch as their World Cup campaign came to an end.Snicko, the technology used to detect contact with the ball, first appeared in football during the 2022 World Cup. However, it has rarely been used to decide such an important moment in a match.The microchip inside the ball provides instant data on ball movement, speed, trajectory and every touch made by players.The technology is more familiar to cricket fans. Snicko is used regularly during cricket matches to determine whether a batter has edged the ball to the wicketkeeper or slip fielders when it is difficult for the umpire to judge from sight and sound alone.By slowing down the footage and matching it with the audio and sensor data, officials can make a clearer decision.Snicko was invented by English computer scientist Allan Plaskett in the mid-1990s and was first introduced in cricket broadcasts by Channel 4 in 1999.
