Solbakken disputes England's equaliser in World Cup quarter-final
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has strongly questioned the build-up to England's equaliser in their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final defeat, claiming the ball struck an overhead camera cable moments before Jude Bellingham scored. The incident occurred in first-half stoppage time when Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland's clearance appeared to hit a wire supporting the overhead camera system, dropping directly to an England player who initiated the move that led to Bellingham's goal.
FIFA's ball sensor technology shows no contact
FIFA quickly released a statement during the match, asserting that the 'Connected Ball' technology detected no evidence of contact with the wire. “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,” FIFA explained. Despite this, Solbakken remained unconvinced, pointing to the ball's sudden change in trajectory as proof.
Solbakken's reaction and player testimony
Speaking after the match, Solbakken told Reuters: “The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction. It caused 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.” He added that Norwegian players and coaching staff immediately raised the issue with match officials during the interval but were told the referee had not seen the incident and VAR did not intervene.
Solbakken insists on visual evidence despite technology
While acknowledging FIFA's technological explanation, Solbakken insisted his players remained convinced. “If there's been no sound or there has been nothing there in the chip, what can I say against that? But the ball drops down straight from heaven. Everyone said, including Orjan, who is the goalie, and the guy who's going to receive the ball. So I think it's pretty clear that it did it. It was a strange thing,” he said.
Norway coach refuses to let controversy overshadow historic run
Despite his frustration, Solbakken did not want the incident to overshadow Norway's historic World Cup campaign, which saw them reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1998 after eliminating Brazil in the Round of 16. “I will not blame that. But everybody on the bench reacted spontaneously because the ball just fell down in front of them. So I don't think there's any doubt that it touched something. But unfortunately, we have to live with this. So we will talk about the wire until we are all dead. I hope we can think about and talk about other things. That's my sincere hope. I hope that this will not be the story about this team. It shouldn't be,” he added.
England manager Tuchel backs technology
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he had not noticed the incident during the match but expressed confidence in the technology being used. “I mean, there is a chip in the ball which can tell you if a hair touches it, as we know since the Croatia-Portugal game. So they should be able to tell you if it happened. I was not aware of it. I didn't see it,” Tuchel said.
England advance to semi-finals after extra time
England came from behind to defeat Norway 2-1 after extra time in Miami, with Bellingham scoring twice to overturn Andreas Schjelderup's opener. The victory sent the Three Lions into the semi-finals, where they will face defending champions Argentina. England eventually sealed victory in extra time through Bellingham's second goal, ending Norway's impressive World Cup journey.
