How VAR Ball Sensor Denied Croatia’s Late Equaliser Against Portugal

In their 2026 World Cup qualifier, Croatia thought they had snatched a stoppage-time equaliser against Portugal. But new ball sensor technology in the Trionda match ball detected the smallest contact and fed the data to VAR. An audio spike showed the ball brushing Igor Matanovic’s head from Ivan Perisic’s cross, meaning Mario Pasalic was offside before Josko Gvardiol’s tap-in. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic slammed the decision, saying VAR “kills emotions.” Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, however, defended the outcome. He argued there was no bad or lucky call, just a clear technical ruling.

Use The App To Win ₦1m

Stories are shared by community members. This article does not represent the official view of NaijaWorld — the author is solely responsible for its content.