Norway refuses to lie down with coaches and players furious over controversial England goal
Norway refuses to lie down with coaches and players furious over controversial England goal
Connor O'Neill & Thomas BristowSun, July 12, 2026 at 4:47 PM UTC
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Norway's players were furious over the goal standing -Credit:(Hannah Peters - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Norway isn't accepting its World Cup loss to England quietly, with its manager, assistant, and players all criticizing Jude Bellingham's first goal. Assistant manager Kent Bergersen is the latest to weigh in, arguing that VAR should have been used to review the disputed equalizer.
Norway's players and staff were incensed as they felt Orjan Nyland's goal kick seemed to strike a cable above Miami Stadium. The ball then fell to Elliot Anderson, who combined with Anthony Gordon before setting up Bellingham, who equalized after Andreas Schjelderup's opener.
Nyland immediately approached referee Clement Turpin in protest, but no VAR review is thought to have occurred.
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FIFA subsequently issued a statement explaining that the chip in the ball registered nothing.
"Before England's goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, the sensor in the connected ball showed no peak in the 'heartbeat of the ball' when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball," it read.
However, Bergersen maintains Turpin should have been directed to the pitchside monitor by VAR to examine the goal. He told TV 2: "When Orjan kicks the ball, it hits the wire with the camera, so the ball is much shorter than it should have been. The referee should have looked at that."
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Erling Haaland was among those chief upset in Norway's loss to England -Credit:Richard Sellers/Allstar, Getty Images
Former Norway midfielder Kjetil Rekdal commented: "It's absolutely crazy that something like that can happen. The referees can't have noticed it. Then Norway would have had to storm the field for them to notice it."
Following the match, Norway manager Stale Solbakken suggested the overhead wires deserve an assist for the goal, stating: "Yeah, it probably will. That was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction."
He continued: "It became a misunderstanding among our players and it was in a bad moment for us, but we can't do anything about that. I don't think we will play the game again, so that's how it is."
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The coach further elaborated: "I can't say anything about that because FIFA. If there's no been no sound or there has been no (reading) in the chip, what can I say against that?
"But the ball drops down straight from heaven says everyone, including Orjan, who is the goalie, including the guy who is going to receive the ball.
"I saw another way just then, so I wonder also what happened. I think it's pretty clear that it did and it was a strange thing."
Norway forward Alexander Sorloth weighed in, saying: "You see the power Orjan puts into the ball, and I position myself further up, because I see it going far. So I have to go further up, and then suddenly it just drops and dies out. So it must be a drop."
Source: “AOL Sports”
