EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo DID NOT score Portugal’s first goal against Uruguay, confirms ‘very accurate’ adidas sensor inside the match ball, despite desperate claims he hit it in last
Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t touch the ball in Portugal’s opener in the 2-0 win over Uruguay, according to “very accurate” data from a sensor inside the match ball.
Debate swirled over whether Ronaldo, who claimed the goal for himself and even texted Piers Morgan to confirm it, managed to apply the slightest touch to Bruno Fernandes’ cross.
FIFA awarded the goal to Fernandes, but the talismanic striker is convinced he should have received it. Now Adidas have provided clear evidence that the Man United striker’s former team-mate was rightly credited.
Adidas used in-ball tech to tell if Bruno Fernandes scored against Uruguay
There was no throw-in from the striker, who claimed the goal but was not given away by FIFA
Ronaldo walked away in celebration with his arm raised, celebrating the score
A statement from Adidas read: “In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball technology housed in adidas’ official Al Rihla match ball, we are able to show definitively no contact on the ball. of Cristiano Ronaldo for the first goal of the match.
“No external force on the ball could be measured, as shown by the absence of a ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements and in the attached graph.
“The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be very precise in our analysis.”
The ball found the far corner of the net and gave Portugal the lead on Monday
To the naked eye, it looked like Ronaldo had sent the ball into the net, timing his run to perfection in the second half to break the deadlock.
He swerved to the left and celebrated as if he had scored his second of the tournament, but replays then threw a wrench in the works.
Closer inspection showed no variation in the trajectory of the ball, although it was almost impossible to tell if it had grazed the hair of Ronaldo’s head.
Fans were split on who should be credited, but adidas data provides a clear answer.
The images of the hit cross show a clear deviation from the impact measurement line, there is another significant jump when the ball hits the ground, but nothing when the ball goes past Ronaldo’s head, which shows that he ultimately did not make contact.
Portugal won the match 2-0 but Ronaldo was still annoyed that he didn’t receive it
The 37-year-old celebrated wildly, convinced or tried to convince others of his head
At the time, even Fernandes, who then added a second from the penalty spot late, thought the opener was Ronaldo’s.
He said: “I don’t think it really matters who scored the goal at this stage.
“The feeling I had at the time was that Cristiano was touching the ball. I was passing the ball to him.
“But the important thing was that we won tonight against a very tough opponent.
“The importance for us of being first in the group includes winning the next game, which would allow us to come out of the group undefeated.” That’s what we want.
“We have a very organized team ahead of us on Friday, and our aim is to win game by game.”
