Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal side qualified for the last-16 of the World Cup thanks to the help of Snicko. The 2026 World Cup ball, marketed by Adidas as the “Trionda,” incorporates microchip technology capable of detecting any contact from a player.
The World Cup VAR official overseeing the Portugal-Croatia fixture utilised the Snickometer, which harnesses the sound waves produced by the ball’s microchip, to disallow Josko Gvardiol’s potential 113th-minute leveller for Croatia. Employing Snicko technology, VAR determined that Croatian striker Igor Matanovic brushed the ball before it ricocheted off Portuguese defender Renato Veiga during a frantic injury-time passage of play.
The incident occurred shortly after Cristiano Ronaldo netted his maiden World Cup knockout strike in the second half, before being withdrawn with a disgruntled expression on his face.
Following the ball’s contact with Veiga, it rebounded to Mario Pasalic – standing in an offside position from the original cross – before he neatly controlled it and passed to Gvardiol for the goal.
Croatian players and supporters erupted in celebration before referee Espen Eskas was alerted by VAR that the goal might have been offside. After reviewing the monitor and examining the ball’s sound waves to confirm whether it had touched Matanovic, Eskas chalked off the goal for offside.
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Play continued for several more moments before the final whistle sounded, propelling Portugal into a Round of 16 encounter against Iberian neighbours Spain. Snicko technology has become a staple in cricket since being developed by an English inventor in the 1990s.
The system has been deployed, in a comparable version, at the international level since the 2022 World Cup but has been thrust into the broadcast limelight in 2026.
BBC host Mark Chapman, broadcasting live, shared a message he’d been sent by veteran official Darren Cann which backed up the correct call being made.
View 2 ImagesTORONTO, CANADA – JULY 2: Head Coach Zlatko Dalic and Luka Modric #10 of Croatia react after their team’s 1-2 loss in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between Portugal and Croatia at Toronto Stadium on July 2, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Sanjin Strukic/Pixsell/MB Media/Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
“He was offside when the ball was last played by a teammate, and the ball was deflected by the defender and not deliberately played, so the offside stands,” Chapman read. “Snicko, that 100% proves that he touched it with the flick-on.”
Ronaldo previously had a 2022 World Cup strike disallowed after the Portuguese forward insisted that a delivery from Bruno Fernandes grazed his head before nestling into the Uruguay net.
Technology determined that the cross failed to make contact with the prolific forward, despite Ronaldo frantically tapping his head to suggest otherwise, with Fernandes eventually being credited with the strike.
Ronaldo endured a rollercoaster encounter against Portugal, watching a second-half effort ruled out for offside before slotting home a spot-kick fewer than 10 minutes afterwards. Despite those being his sole touches inside the Croatian penalty area, he was handed the Man of the Match award.
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