Mattias Svanberg’s impact could barely have been more immediate when he came off Sweden’s bench on Sunday night.Eighteen seconds were all it took for the substitute to score his side’s fourth in an emphatic 5-1 win over Tunisia but his big moment in Monterrey also owed much to the intervention of technology.The match official team detected a faint touch on the ball by Liverpool striker Alexander Isak in the build-up to Svanberg’s goal, which meant the original offside call was overturned and the goal allowed to stand.The Athletic looks at how the process worked and how it leaned on technology used in cricket.What happened in the incident?Svanberg was sent on to make an impact and did just that with his very first touch. Yasin Ayari’s free kick from the right was swept into the net by the Wolfsburg midfielder but his celebrations were initially cut short by an offside flag.UK readers watch here:
That is incredible! 😲
Mattias Svanberg scores for Sweden within seconds of entering the pitch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IDhpWDfN89
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 15, 2026Svanberg was clearly standing beyond the last defender as the free kick was taken before arcing his run back to meet the cross. Sweden were adamant that team-mate Alexander Isak had got a touch on the way through, meaning that Svanberg’s initial offside had become irrelevant — he had returned to an onside position by the time Isak met the ball.That was when technology came into play. The video assistant referee (VAR) team on duty identified that all-important touch from Isak and confirmed to the match official, Yael Falcon, that the goal should be given.
