FIFA issued an official explanation regarding a disallowed goal scored by Croatia during their match against Portugal. The ruling was based on the deployment of the Connected Ball technology, which embedded sensors within the match ball to assist the on-field officiating. According to the statement, the technology registered specific contact points involving Croatian player Igor Matanovic, allowing the referee to accurately determine the offside status of an attacking player.
The sequence of play commenced with a left-sided cross into the Portuguese penalty area. Following this cross, Matanovic jumped for the ball. At this point, Mario Pasalic was positioned in an offside area behind Matanovic.
The play continued when the ball appeared to pass over Matanovic’s reach. Subsequently, the Portuguese defender, Renato Veiga, played the ball back toward Pasalic. Pasalic then advanced the ball, passing it into the area where Joko Gvardiol directed it into the net, resulting in the initial goal.
However, the referee’s review, guided by the data from the ball technology, determined that the initial scoring attempt was invalid due to the offside position of the involved player. FIFA confirmed that the technology provided the necessary evidence for the referee to correctly rule on the infringement, leading to the goal being disallowed.
Topics: #ball #goal #referee
