Sweden made a spectacular start to their 2026 World Cup campaign, defeating Tunisia with a convincing 5-1 scoreline in their first group stage match.
One of the most interesting moments of the match was the goal scored by Matthias Svanberg, who scored just 17 seconds after coming on as a substitute.
The Swedish midfielder was just one second away from breaking Richard Morales’ record for the fastest goal scored by a substitute in a World Cup.
However, the goal was initially disallowed for offside. After the VAR intervention, the referees used advanced technology integrated into the ball to analyze the action.
The sensor placed on the ball showed that Alexander Isak had touched the ball before it reached Svanberg, who at that moment was in a legal position.
This technological test caused the initial decision to be overturned and the goal to be allowed.
The technology that helped in this case originated from the sport of cricket.
It works through a microchip integrated into the ball, which records every contact with high precision, up to 500 times per second.
In cricket, a similar system is used in technology known as the “Snickometer”, which helps umpires determine whether the bat has touched the ball during questionable action.
Thanks to this technology, Sweden not only confirmed a landslide victory over Tunisia, but also prevented a goal that almost went down in World Cup history from being conceded.
