Snicko chip denies Croatia stoppage-time equaliser as Portugal survive World Cup scare

Portugal edged past Croatia 2-1 at the World Cup round of 32 after VAR used embedded ball-sensor technology to disallow Josko Gvardiol’s stoppage-time equaliser, denying the Croatians what appeared to be a lifeline in the 13th minute of additional time.

Gvardiol had turned home from close range to make it 2-2, seemingly forcing extra time. VAR Jarred Gillett intervened to review the build-up for offside, focusing on whether Croatia’s Igor Matanovic had touched the ball with a header before Gvardiol’s finish. To the naked eye the contact was inconclusive, but referee Espen Eskas was shown a spike on Snickometer-style audio-sensor data and chalked the goal off.

The technology — widely known as “Snicko” from its long-established use in cricket — works through a chip inside the Adidas Trionda match ball. FIFA states the chip detects every contact in real time, feeding precise data directly to the VAR. Once a touch was registered with a Croatian player in an offside position, the goal could not stand under the laws of the game.

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic was scathing about the decision and the broader direction of VAR. “I will not comment much about it but I will say the refereeing was very bad,” he said. “VAR kills emotions, it kills everything within you. We have gone too far with VAR.”

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez took the opposite view. “It’s a shame one of the two teams had to lose, but there is no bad decision or lucky decision. It was a clear moment. The balls now have a chip and the sensor shows the ball was touched.”

Similar ball-chip technology was deployed at the 2022 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024, making this the third major tournament in which it has been used to settle marginal VAR calls. Portugal advance to the round of 16, where they will face Iberian rivals Spain.