Why VAR ruled out Croatia's equaliser; football's offside rule explained

Croatia thought they had forced extra time against Portugal, but a faint touch detected by FIFA's Connected Ball Technology triggered an offside decision that ended their World Cup 2026 campaign

Croatia's Fifa World Cup 2026 campaign ended in dramatic and controversial fashion on Friday after their stoppage-time equaliser against Portugal in the Round of 32 at Toronto Stadium was ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review aided by Fifa's Connected Ball Technology.

 

Josko Gvardiol bundled the ball into the net in the 13th minute of added time, moments after Goncalo Ramos had restored Portugal's lead. Although the goal was initially awarded, referee Espen Eskas overturned his decision after a lengthy VAR review, ruling that Croatia striker Igor Matanovic had made a slight touch before the ball reached Mario Pasalic, who was in an offside position.

 

 

The decision immediately sparked debate, with television replays appearing to show the ball missing Matanovic before deflecting off Portugal defender Renato Veiga. Many believed Veiga's touch should have reset the phase of play, making Pasalic onside. However, Fifa later confirmed that the sensor inside the official Adidas Trionda match ball had detected a faint touch from Matanovic, making the offside decision consistent with Law 11 of the IFAB Laws of the Game.

The moment that changed the match

Portugal appeared to have secured victory when Ramos headed home in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

 

Croatia launched one final attack nine minutes later as Ivan Perisic delivered a cross into the penalty area. Matanovic attempted to flick the ball on before it glanced off Renato Veiga and reached Mario Pasalic, who squared it for Gvardiol to score from close range.

 

With no immediate offside flag, Croatia celebrated what looked like a dramatic equaliser.

 

However, VAR official Jarred Gillett initiated a review to determine whether Matanovic had made contact with the ball before it reached Veiga. That single moment would decide whether Pasalic's position should be judged from Matanovic's touch or Perisic's original cross. 

What is Connected Ball Technology?

Connected Ball Technology is Fifa's ball-tracking system designed to help match officials make faster and more accurate decisions, particularly in offside situations. Developed in partnership with Adidas, the system places an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor at the centre of the official Adidas Trionda match ball.

 

The sensor records thousands of data points every second and is capable of detecting even the slightest contact between the ball and a player. During a VAR review, this information is synchronised with Fifa's semi-automated offside technology to identify the precise moment the ball is played or touched — one of the key reference points under Law 11.

 

For television viewers, the data is displayed as a heartbeat-style graphic, with a visible spike indicating the exact instant the sensor detects contact. The concept is similar to cricket's UltraEdge or Snickometer, which uses sound and sensor data to identify faint edges that cannot always be confirmed through broadcast replays.

 

In Croatia's case, the technology detected a minimal touch by Matanovic that was not conclusive on conventional television angles. That data ultimately became the basis for the offside review.

How Connected Ball Technology proved the touch

Unlike television broadcasts, Fifa's match officials had access to data generated by the sensor embedded inside the Adidas Trionda match ball.

 

During the VAR review, the system registered a distinct heartbeat-style spike as the ball passed Matanovic, confirming he had made slight contact that was not conclusive on conventional replay angles.

 

That moment became the official reference point for the offside decision. Since Matanovic was the last Croatian player to touch the ball, Pasalic's position had to be judged at that instant rather than when Perisic delivered the original cross.

Why Veiga's touch did not reset offside

Many viewers assumed Veiga's touch had restarted the phase of play because the Portuguese defender visibly changed the ball's direction. However, under Law 11, not every defensive touch resets offside. Officials must determine whether the defender deliberately played the ball or merely made an instinctive deflection while attempting to block it.

 

According to the IFAB Laws of the Game, a defender is considered to have deliberately played the ball only if he had sufficient control and the opportunity to pass, clear or gain possession.

 

Officials determined that Veiga's contact was an instinctive deflection rather than a controlled action.

 

As a result, the offside phase was not reset.

 

Since Pasalic was ahead of the second-last Portuguese defender when Matanovic touched the ball, he was deemed offside before providing the assist for Gvardiol.

What is the offside rule in football?

Law 11 of the IFAB Laws of the Game states that a player in an offside position is penalised if he becomes involved in active play after the ball is played or touched by a team-mate.

 

An opponent's touch resets offside only if it is considered a deliberate play rather than an accidental rebound or deflection.

 

When deciding whether a defender has deliberately played the ball, referees consider several factors. They assess whether the defender had a clear view of the ball, whether there was enough time to react, whether the player attempted to control, pass or clear the ball, and whether the contact demonstrated control rather than simply changing the ball's direction.

 

In Croatia's case, officials concluded that Veiga's contact was an instinctive deflection rather than a controlled action. As a result, the offside phase remained active and Pasalic's position was judged from Matanovic's touch.

Fifa explains the decision

Following the match, Fifa issued a statement defending the decision. "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 No. 20 Igor Matanovic in the build-up to the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal," the governing body said.

 

Fifa added that the IMU sensors inside the ball are capable of detecting even minimal contact, with the information displayed to viewers through the heartbeat graphic to help officials make faster and more accurate decisions.

Why the decision was correct

Once Connected Ball Technology established that Matanovic had touched the ball, the application of Law 11 became relatively straightforward. Because Veiga's subsequent contact was judged to be an instinctive deflection rather than a deliberate play, the offside phase was never reset. Pasalic was therefore deemed to have received the ball while in an offside position before assisting Gvardiol's finish.

 

For Croatia, the decision brought a cruel end to another World Cup campaign. For Fifa, however, the incident demonstrated how modern officiating is increasingly combining VAR with sensor-based technology to resolve marginal decisions that television cameras alone cannot conclusively determine.