As debate rages on about who scored Portugal’s opener against Uruguay, Cristiano Ronaldo or Bruno Fernandes, ball manufacturer Adidas released a statement on Monday confirming that the Portuguese captain had no contact with the ball.
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‘In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball Technology housed in adidas’s Al Rihla Official Match Ball, we are able to definitively show no contact on the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo for the opening goal in the game. No external force on the ball could be measured as shown by the lack of ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements and in the attached graphic. The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis,” Adidas was quoted by Daily Mail.
In layman’s terms, the Adidas ball, called Al Rihla (the journey, in Arabic), comes with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor that also aids in making tight offside calls. The sensor, which is placed at the centre of the ball, constantly sends data to the video operation room. This technology came to the fore which confirmed that the goal was in fact, scored by Fernandes.
Fernandes crossed the ball from the left side of the pitch and Ronaldo jumped the highest as the ball went into the goal. He celebrated wildly as the goal, had it stood, would have seen him level former Real Madrid with Eusebio as Portugal’s highest goal scorer at World Cups. He would also have surpassed Lionel Messi in their race for more World Cup goals.
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However, replays later showed that Ronaldo had just missed connecting with the ball.
Announcers in the stadium credited the goal to Fernandes even as the official scorecard mentioned Ronaldo as the scorer. The scoreline was later ratified and the goal officially given to Fernandes.
