Norway coach Ståle Solbakken has questioned England’s equalising goal in the FIFA World Cup quarter-final, claiming the ball struck an overhead camera cable before the move that led to the goal.
England came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 in Miami and book a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
The controversy arose in first-half stoppage time when Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland’s long clearance appeared to change direction before falling to England’s Elliot Anderson, who launched the attack that ended with Jude Bellingham scoring the equaliser.
Norwegian players appealed to French referee Clément Turpin, arguing the ball had hit a camera cable and that play should have been stopped. However, the referee allowed the goal to stand.
Speaking after the match, Solbakken said he believed the ball had clearly changed direction after making contact with the cable.
“The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction,” Solbakken said. “But we can’t do anything about that. I don’t think we will play the game again.”
FIFA later issued a statement rejecting the claim, saying data from the chip embedded in the match ball showed “no evidence” that it had struck the cable.
The governing body said the same ball-tracking technology had earlier been used to rule out a goal during Croatia’s Round of 16 defeat to Portugal after detecting contact with a camera cable.
Solbakken accepted that the referee could only act based on the information available but maintained his belief that the ball had made contact.
He also acknowledged that football decisions can balance out over time, noting Norway had benefited from favourable moments in its previous victory over Brazil.
England will now face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals. (Newswire)
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