Matanovic admits hair contact as VAR technology ends Croatia's World Cup equaliser

Igor Matanovic has admitted he touched the ball with his hair in the build-up to Croatia’s disallowed equaliser, confirming the VAR decision that ended his side’s hopes of salvaging a point in a 2-1 World Cup defeat against Portugal.

Croatia believed they had snatched a dramatic leveller through Josko Gvardiol in the 13th minute of added time, only for a review to rule the goal out for offside. The decision hinged on whether Matanovic had made contact with the ball moments earlier — and FIFA’s Connected Ball Technology, embedded within the Adidas Trionda match ball, determined that he had.

“Honestly, I think I felt a slight contact with my hair,” Matanovic said after the match. “I asked the referee, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure if I had touched him. He told me that they have a chip in the ball, that there was a slight contact and that, therefore, it was offside.”

FIFA confirmed the ruling on X, explaining that IMU sensors inside the Trionda ball are capable of detecting any slight contact and presenting the data to broadcasters as a ‘heartbeat graphic’. The governing body said the technology “allowed the referee to correctly determine offside and disallow the goal.”

Matanovic was visibly frustrated by the broader picture of the match, not just the disallowed goal. “It’s difficult to find the right words after the game. We played very well in the second half and deserved more,” he said. “Three goals, offside, a post… I have no words, we were very unlucky today.”

The defeat leaves Croatia’s World Cup campaign in a precarious position, having been undone by a combination of fine margins and cutting-edge officiating technology that proved decisive in the closing moments.