The Snickometer That Silenced Croatia and Kept Ronaldo's World Cup Alive
Cricket technology proved decisive in ruling out Croatia's stoppage-time equaliser. Modric bows out; Ronaldo lives on.
Can you imagine being knocked out of a World Cup by a spike on a cricket screen? That is exactly what happened to Croatia.
Trailing 2–1 in the 13th minute of stoppage time, Josko Gvardiol poked the ball into the net. The Croatians erupted. The stands erupted. On the bench, Cristiano Ronaldo — who had scored his first ever goal in a World Cup knockout match before being substituted — watched with his head bowed.
But video referee Jarred Gillett of Australia called for a review. The question: had Igor Matanovic headed the ball in the build-up? If so, offside. If not, goal stands.
Norwegian referee Espen Eskas watched replay after replay without a clear answer. Then came the Snickometer — technology borrowed from cricket, capable of detecting the slightest contact. A spike on the readout. Touch confirmed. Goal disallowed.
BBC commentator Steve Wilson called it "one of the biggest VAR decisions there has ever been". Plastic bottles rained onto the pitch. Croatia's celebration turned to despair in seconds.
For Luka Modric, 40, it was in all likelihood his farewell to World Cups. For Ronaldo, yet another chapter in a story that seemed finished — and remains very much open.
Golmetria's model gives Portugal a 4.88% chance of lifting the trophy. Small, but real. Croatia's is now zero.
The question that lingers: how far can Ronaldo still carry Portugal in this World Cup?