FIFA officially confirmed that Croatia's equalizing goal was invalid. The player admitted: My hair touched the ball and it was indeed offside.

On July 3rd Beijing time, the International Football Federation (FIFA) officially released a statement confirming that Croatia's equalizing goal was disallowed. FIFA explained in the statement that according to the data provided by the chip technology embedded in the match ball, Croatian player Matanovic made contact with the ball during the goal against Portugal. The referee correctly ruled offside based on this and disallowed the goal.[Watch the World Cup on Migu Video]

FIFA also stated that the high-tech chip sensor can detect even the slightest contact and display it on television broadcasts through images, providing referees with unprecedented data to make quick and accurate decisions.

In the just-concluded World Cup Round of 16 match, Croatia lost 1-2 to Portugal and failed to advance to the last 16. In the 13th minute of second-half stoppage time, Croatia scored a goal, but after VAR intervention, it was ruled offside and disallowed.

After the match, Matanovic, as the player involved, also admitted in an interview that he did touch the ball: "To be honest, I felt a slight touch on my hair. I asked the referee what it was. I couldn't be 100% sure if I touched it. He told me there's a chip in the ball and it detected contact, so it's offside. That's it."

After FIFA and the player himself explained the situation, the controversy over Croatia's disallowed goal may finally be settled. However, it is indeed regrettable that veterans like Modric and other Croatian players had to exit the World Cup in such a dramatic manner.

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