Ball don't lie: How the World Cup match ball helped deny Croatia a dramatic equalizer vs. Portugal
Yahoo Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Croatia's late goal against Portugal in the World Cup Round of 32 was disallowed after a VAR review using a microchip embedded in the game ball confirmed an offside call.
- The chip detected that Igor Matanović touched the ball before Mario Pašalić, making Pašalić offside at the moment of the ball's touch and nullifying the goal.
- Adidas introduced this "Connected Ball Technology" in October, embedding motion sensors directly into the ball's panels to provide real-time data to VAR officials.
- The chip measures inertia and transmits information such as player contact and ball speed, aiding referees in making more accurate decisions during the game.
- These smart balls are battery-powered, require charging before matches, and have a battery life of approximately six hours.
