How Sweden Had Cricket to Thank for Their World Cup Win Against Tunisia

With Sweden leading 3-1, Mattias Svanberg entered the match as a substitute and scored with his very first touch of the game just 18 seconds later, making it the second-fastest goal ever by a substitute at the World Cup.

But it took much longer for the goal to be confirmed. Svanberg's initial celebrations were cut short when the offside flag was raised, and the linesman's decision appeared correct as replays showed the Wolfsburg player beyond the last defender from the free-kick.

However, after a VAR review, the celebrations resumed, and Sweden secured their fourth goal in a comfortable victory.

The officials on VAR duty were able to confirm that Alexander Isak got the slightest touch on the ball as it passed him at the near post and continued through to Svanberg, who had moved back into an onside position by the time the Liverpool man grazed the ball.

It was thanks to 'Snicko' technology, a relatively new innovation in football but used for several years in cricket, which quickly provided concrete proof of Isak's touch.

Snicko manufactures 'Connected Ball Technology' sensors that are implanted in the official match ball, measuring and relaying information 500 times per second to determine exactly when the ball is touched.

A touch of the ball is represented as a spike on a graph. The graph shown to the officials was also displayed on TV screens for the watching public.

The sensors are often used in cricket to determine whether a batter has touched the ball with their bat, body, or not at all in situations where they might be given out.

This was the first time it was used to decide whether a FIFA World Cup goal should stand, but it was used in a slightly different capacity at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, proving that Bruno Fernandes, and not Cristiano Ronaldo, had scored for Portugal in their 2-0 win over Uruguay.

Svanberg praised referee Yael Falcon throughout the process: 'I think he was calm, and we were not too heated. We just tried to explain that Alex was on the ball and get that across.'

The goal would not have stood had it been scored in Allsvenskan, Sweden's top flight, which does not use VAR, something Svanberg accepts.

'Since the technology has been around for so long in international football, the only option is to continue developing it. In my case and for the team, it was a step in the right direction. But I understand the fans in Sweden who do not want it.'