In the injury time of the first half at Miami (USA), Norway was leading 1-0 when goalkeeper Orjan Nyland made a long pass. Through television cameras, the ball's trajectory suddenly changed and fell early in the midfield area, creating conditions for Elliot Anderson to regain control of the ball.
After that, Anthony Gordon made a favorable assist for Jude Bellingham to finish and equalize 1-1 for England. The goal helped coach Thomas Tuchel's team regain the game before Bellingham completed a double in extra time, bringing a 2-1 victory and a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
However, immediately after the goal, the Norwegian players reacted fiercely. Coach Stale Solbakken, along with goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and striker Erling Haaland, said that the ball touched the cable of the spidercam system before England launched a counter-attack.
According to IFAB Rule 9, if the ball touches an object above the field such as a roof, cable or camera, the referee must immediately stop the match and give the team that last touched the ball a free kick. This means that if the ball actually touches the camera cable, England's counter-attack will not continue and Bellingham's goal will also not be recognized.
Many television angles showed that the ball's trajectory changed significantly after Nyland's kick, raising suspicions that a collision occurred with the cable. Norwegian assistant coach Kent Bergersen said that this situation caused the ball to fall early, creating an opportunity for Anderson to steal the ball.
In the opposite direction, FIFA affirmed that the VAR team checked the situation but did not have enough evidence to determine that the ball touched the spidercam system. According to the announcement of the world football governing body, data from the sensor integrated in the ball did not record any collision signals.
However, the controversy has not subsided. Former FIFA referee Mark Clattenburg said that VAR has the full right to consider the developments that occurred in the attack that led to the goal. Meanwhile, many opinions suggest that television images show abnormal ball trajectories, even though sensor data does not record collisions.
According to current regulations, data from the sensor is only for support purposes. The final decision still belongs to the referee and the VAR team in determining whether the ball touched an object above the field or not. Therefore, Bellingham's goal was still recognized and became a turning point to help England come back against Norway to win the right to participate in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
