How SNICKO saved Ronaldo's WC career [Source: AFP, FOX Sports]Who would believe that Cristiano Ronaldo’s FIFA World Cup 2026 journey was saved by a technology that is used in the game of Cricket? Yes, you read that right: the Snickometer technology saved Ronaldo’s blushes, or else the Portugal vs Croatia Round of 32 clash would have headed to Extra Time, and anything could have happened.Despite Portugal’s win, the match was marred by controversy as Croatia’s late equaliser was cancelled out by VAR.What was the controversy in the Portugal vs Croatia World Cup match?Josko Gvardiol thought he had rescued Croatia in the 103rd minute of the World Cup match when he whipped the ball past the Portugal keeper for an equaliser. The player and the entire Croatian staff were jubilant as they thought they had found the crucial goal.However, the match referee was sent to the VAR monitor to check the authenticity of the goal, and he eventually overturned the goal for offside. Croatia thought the game was going to Extra Time, but VAR intervened and spoiled their party.Perisic made a superb cross, and Igor Matanovic made a slight touch on the pass before the ball reached Mario Pasalic, who gave a pass to Gvardiol as he placed the ball inside the net.The problem with the goal was that when Matanovic redirected the ball, Pasalic was standing in an offside position, and the goal was disallowed because the point of attack (Pasalic) was offside.How Cricket's 'Snicko' saved Ronaldo and PortugalThe biggest debate was whether Matanovic had flipped the ball towards Pasalic. If he had touched the ball, it would have been offside, but had he not touched the ball, the goal would have stayed.The television replays did little to help the referee make a conclusive decision, and this is where Cricket’s technology, Snickometer, came into play. The spike on the technology suggested that Matanovic had touched the ball with his hair, and thus, the decision went in Portugal’s favour as the goal was overruled, and Ronaldo's dream of lifting his maiden World Cup was kept intact.Also Read: FIFA Introduces Massive Cricket Tech For FIFA World Cup 2026The official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Adidas TRIONDA, contains a motion sensor that records every action that has happened with the ball. The sensor captures movement, and the data recorded helps the VAR officials to pinpoint the moment a player touches the ball, even if it is the faintest of touches.The “snickometer” technology has recently been introduced in Football, but it has been used on a regular basis in Cricket, and is used to determine whether the batter has touched the ball or not.Controversies caused by SNICKO in Cricket matchesThe cricket technology came under scrutiny during the Australia vs England, The Ashes series. On the first day of the third Test in Adelaide, Aussie keeper, Alex Carey had nicked a ball to the keeper, but was given not out on review. He later admitted that he had edged the ball, but the keeper survived because the Snicko technology showed a discrepancy between the sound and pictures of the edge.In the same series, English keeper, Jamie Smith was controversially dismissed in the second Test match after a questionable Snicko review for caught behind.The technology has its pros, but at the same time, it has its Cons, and teams in Cricket have experienced both.Also Read: Angkrish Raghuvanshi Undergoes Surgery; Joins Mumbai In 1st Move Since Injury
