Norway’s World Cup campaign concluded with a 2-1 quarter-final defeat against England, a match marked by controversy surrounding Jude Bellingham’s equalising goal. Norwegian players and coaching staff suggested the ball might have struck a spidercam wire in the build-up to the goal, an incident that, if confirmed, would have led to the goal being disallowed and play restarting with a dropped ball.
The incident occurred in first-half stoppage time after Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead. Replays showed Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s goal kick passing near the spidercam cable suspended above the playing surface. The ball then fell to Elliot Anderson, who passed to Anthony Gordon, leading to Bellingham’s goal.
Norway midfielder Sander Berge described the situation with the wire as “ridiculous,” highlighting the fine margins in the game. Captain Martin Odegaard also commented on the refereeing decisions, stating that the margins were not in their favour.
Controversy and VAR decisions
Following Bellingham’s goal, several Norway players immediately approached referee Clement Turpin to argue against the goal. Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken was also seen speaking with the official at half-time regarding the incident.
Solbakken later stated that the referee had not seen the incident himself and had not received any message indicating a touch. He noted that Fifa also indicated no touch occurred, and therefore the referee could not act. However, Solbakken maintained his belief that the ball did touch the wire, observing that it “dropped straight down” in front of the bench, and many on the bench reacted immediately.
Fifa later released a statement confirming there was “no evidence” the ball had touched a wire. A post on X from Fifa Media explained that the sensor in the connected ball showed no peak in its “heartbeat” when in the air, suggesting no contact with the overhead wire that would have altered the ball’s movement.
This technology, similar to cricket’s Snickometer, had previously been central to a decision in the tournament during Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia. In that match, a late Croatia equaliser was disallowed after the technology indicated a slight touch by Igor Matanovic in an offside position during the build-up.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the suggestions of a cable strike, noting that the chip in the ball should be able to detect such contact, referencing the Croatia versus Portugal game. He also admitted that his side had experienced fortunate moments in the match.
Beyond the spidercam incident, Norway also had a second-half header from Torbjorn Heggem disallowed after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. The review penalised Erling Haaland for a shove on Elliot Anderson during a corner kick.
England’s progression and internal assessment
Despite the win, England coach Thomas Tuchel expressed some dissatisfaction with his team’s performance, describing it as “sloppy” and highlighting too many unforced errors and technical mistakes. He clarified that while he has high demands, there is no disconnect with his team, stating his affection for his players.
Bellingham, who scored both goals in the 2-1 extra-time victory, dismissed Tuchel’s assessment, attributing the performance to a “tough shift” in challenging conditions against a strong Norway side. He suggested that Tuchel might not fully appreciate the physical demands of playing against players like Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa, and Alexander Sorloth.
Bellingham also emphasised the importance of being able to win “dirty” in a tournament setting, stating that not every game can be won with aesthetically pleasing football. He highlighted the need to maintain a positive environment as England progresses to the semi-finals.
With his brace against Norway, Bellingham reached six goals for the tournament, matching Harry Kane’s tally. He is now two goals behind top scorers Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. England is now set to face Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Source: bbc.co.uk