We live in an age of replay, and real-time sports forensics, and here…a new bit of in-ball audio sensor technology nicknamed “Snicko” determined that, before striking Portugal’s Veiga, the ball actually grazed the head of Croatia’s leaping Igor Matanovic, which meant that Pasalic was offside, nullifying Gvardiol’s epic game-tying score—and handing Portugal the match....

Call it the “Hair of God,” or something like that. The Croatian end of the stadium erupted in fury, chucking bottles to the grass.

This is what happens when the nerds jump in: technology taking ownership of the call, but also technology sucking the joy out of a human moment. It’s a hard twist to reconcile in a funky sport with old-world attributes, like the referee mysteriously keeping track of the remaining time like a secret cupcake in his pocket.

A few years ago, none of this would have happened. The call against Croatia never would have been made prior to the in-ball sensor, which arrived via cricket. This newfangled, microchipped World Cup ball actually needs to be charged in advance, similar to a hand-held vacuum, or a dull CEO before an earnings call.