Croatia's hopes of equalizing in their World Cup 2026 round of 16 clash against Portugal were dashed by the debut of "snicko" technology. The incident occurred in the 13th minute of injury time at the BMO Stadium in Toronto on 2/7. Ivan Perisic delivered a cross from the left wing into the penalty area. The ball glanced off Igor Matanovic, then hit Renato Veiga, before reaching the far post where Mario Pasalic sent it across, leading to Ruben Neves scoring an own goal in an attempt to clear.

Croatian players celebrated exuberantly, believing they had leveled the score at two-two. However, the referee received a signal from the video assistant referee (VAR) warning of an offside.

Snicko technology's sensor helped the referee determine a Croatian player touched the ball, leading to an offside, in the 13th minute of second-half injury time during their one-two loss to Portugal in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 at BMO Stadium in Canada on 2/7. Photo: Screenshot

Slow-motion replays proved inconclusive, making it difficult for the referee to ascertain if the Croatian forward had touched the ball. This ambiguity fueled online discussions, with many posts suggesting Croatia had been "robbed" of a goal. However, the "snicko" technology, making its World Cup 2026 debut, unequivocally detected a minimal touch by Matanovic. This technological assistance allowed the main referee, Espen Eskas, to quickly review the incident and return to the field to disallow the goal due to offside. Portuguese players celebrated, while the Croatian team expressed deep disappointment.

This technology first proved effective in the match where Sweden defeated Tunisia five-one in their Group F opener on 14/6. Sweden benefited when the ball's internal sensor confirmed that Alexander Isak had touched the ball before it reached Svanberg. This detection reversed an initial offside call, making the Swedish midfielder's goal valid.

In cricket, "snicko" (short for snickometer) is a technology that helps referees determine if the ball has lightly grazed a batsman's bat. The system analyzes signals and displays them as a graph. Any contact, no matter how slight, causes a sharp peak on the graph, indicating the precise moment of impact.

The version implemented by FIFA at the 2026 World Cup operates on a similar principle. A motion sensor microchip is embedded inside the ball, recording touch data up to 500 times per second. This data is transmitted directly to the VAR room.

During the review of the contentious situation, the VAR referee examined the sensor graph at the exact moment the ball passed Matanovic's head. A distinct signal peak appeared on the screen, confirming the Croatian forward's very slight touch before the ball reached Pasalic's position.

FIFA stated that the ball sensor technology was introduced to support VAR in situations involving handballs, fouls, or determining the last player to touch the ball before a goal. The system had previously appeared at the 2022 World Cup, but it was a sensor implemented by ball sponsor Adidas and not part of FIFA's official protocol. At that time, the sensor confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo did not touch the ball in Portugal's goal against Uruguay, despite his claim of contact.

The disallowed goal ultimately led to Croatia's one-two defeat against Portugal, eliminating them in the round of 16. Earlier in the match, Perisic had opened the scoring, but Portugal came back with an equalizer from a penalty by Ronaldo and a late header from Goncalo Ramos.

Croatia's early exit marked their first time stopping at this stage after reaching the semi-finals in the two preceding tournaments. Meanwhile, Portugal advanced to the quarter-finals to face Spain.

Ivan Perisic opened the scoring.

Ronaldo scored the penalty to equalize one-one.

Goncalo Ramos extended the lead to two-one.

Trung Thu (according to Fox Sports)