03/07/2026 04:07 - Deportes
On July 1, 2026, at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, Portugal and Croatia played a heart-stopping match that ended 2-1 in favor of the Portuguese. For context on the World Cup format, this edition features an expanded 48-team tournament, meaning the knockout stage begins with a 'Round of 32' (often called 16avos de final in Spanish).
The valid goals were scored by Ivan Perisic, Cristiano Ronaldo (from a penalty kick), and Goncalo Ramos. However, the true emotion arrived in the final minutes. When the match seemed destined for extra time, in the 102nd minute, Croatia celebrated a supposed 2-2 equalizer after a finish by Joško Gvardiol. But Norwegian referee Espen Eskas immediately called upon the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to review the play.
What television cameras could not capture, technology did. The official match ball of the 2026 World Cup, known as the Trionda, features an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor installed inside one of its four panels. This device collects detailed data on every single contact and sends it instantly to the VAR booth.
Upon reviewing the play, the system displayed a graphic on the screen resembling a 'heartbeat': a flat line that spiked upward at the exact moment the ball grazed the head of Croatian player Igor Matanović. That slight touch, invisible to the naked eye, placed Gvardiol in an offside position, disallowing the goal and decreeing the end of the match.
The system utilizes 16 specialized cameras that track the positions of the ball and players up to 50 times per second, collecting 29 data points per player per frame.
The sensors housed within the ball detect any slight contact, optimizing the analysis of controversial plays and providing absolute precision to the referee.
Interestingly, this very same technology was a protagonist in a Portugal match during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but back then it actually 'took away' a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star believed he had headed in a cross from Bruno Fernandes against Uruguay, but the sensor inside the Al Rihla ball (the official ball in Qatar) proved there was no impact on his head. Now, in 2026, that same technology has secured qualification for his national team!
With this victory, Portugal advances to the Round of 16 (Octavos de final), where they will face a highly anticipated derby against Spain.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
