FIFA clarifies the disallowed goal in Portugal versus Croatia match

During the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia, a late goal scored by Croatia was disallowed after an intervention by VAR. The decision followed a review by Norwegian referee Espen Eskas regarding a potential offside offense involving Mario Pasalic. FIFA officially confirmed that the match ball, the Trionda, utilized Connected Ball Technology to verify the incident. Sensors within the ball detected a slight touch by Igor Matanovic, which placed Pasalic in an offside position at the time of the play. The Trionda ball is equipped with a 500Hz motion sensor that transmits real-time data to assist officials in making precise calls. While the call sparked protests from the Croatian side, FIFA stated the technology provided evidence for an accurate offside ruling.