November 29, (THEWILL) – According to match ball manufacturer Adidas, Cristiano Ronaldo did not touch the ball which led to Bruno Fernandes’ opening goal in their 2-0 World Cup victory over Uruguay on Monday.
Thanks to a brace from the Manchester United playmaker, Portugal won and advanced to the knockout rounds. In the post-match debates, the actual scorer of Selecao’s first goal caused some controversy. Ronaldo insisted that he made a final touch with his head after a Fernandes cross appeared to have reached the top corner.
Replays appeared to show that Ronaldo did not make any contact with the ball, but there were reports that claimed that Portugal would “present evidence” to FIFA to support the claim that their star striker scored the goal.
But according to Adidas, who provide the official World Cup footballs, the sensor within the ball did not detect any sound when Ronaldo claimed to have touched the ball, hence Fernandes should continue to be credited with the goal.
Their statement read: “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. The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
