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Norway were left in disbelief after VAR failed to act on Jude Bellingham’s controversial equaliser for England during their 2-1 defeat in the World Cup quarter-final.

Head coach Stale Solbakken voiced his frustration over the incident that occurred just before half-time, insisting that England’s levelling goal should have been disallowed.

According to Solbakken, Bellingham’s strike came only two passes after the ball appeared to strike a television cable overhead following a goal kick, which caused it to change direction.

Norway dominated most of the first half of the 2026 World Cup clash and looked set to extend their lead to 2-0, but Alexander Sorloth squandered a golden chance on a two-on-one counter-attack.

Soon after Sorloth’s failure to pass to an unmarked Erling Haaland, England seized an unexpected opportunity when the ball, as Solbakken described, “fell straight down from the sky” and levelled the score.

Reflecting on the controversial moment, Solbakken said: “Yeah, it probably will [count as an assist for the spidercam]. It was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight down from the sky and changed directions.”

He added, “We can sit here and complain and maybe we can rightly feel that the small details didn’t go our way. Against Brazil, they did. That’s how football works.”

“But perhaps we need those little details to favour us when we face teams like England, Brazil, and others in the world’s top five,” Solbakken continued. “There’s nothing we can do about it. I don’t think we’ll replay the match, so that’s just how it is.”

The Norway boss also praised his players, saying that his team had proven capable of going ‘toe-to-toe’ with the best sides in world football.

The 58-year-old coach revealed that the referee told him he had not noticed anything unusual during Bellingham’s goal and expressed doubt about whether the in-ball motion detection chip had functioned properly. “I can’t say much about that because there was no movement in the chip. What can I say? But the ball drops right in front of Haaland,” said Solbakken. “I also wonder what happened, but I think it’s quite clear that it did [hit the wire]. It was a strange situation.”

Solbakken also explained his decision to substitute Erling Haaland late in the game, a move that raised eyebrows among fans. “It wasn’t a tough call because he was exhausted, and maybe I should have taken him off ten minutes earlier. He’s had an incredible World Cup,” said the coach. “He picked up a dead leg in the second half, and combined with fatigue, that took its toll. But he gave everything he had.”

“He scored seven goals in five games and had a fantastic World Cup for us,” Solbakken added, before commending the entire squad for their “phenomenal” efforts throughout the tournament.

England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted that his side “just got lucky” in key moments of the quarter-final, openly criticising his team’s performance despite the win. Bellingham reportedly did not take well to his coach’s comments, but Tuchel later clarified that he remains “fully in love” with his team.

— Kedar Bayley, Freelance Writer