Norway manager Stålе Solbakken has spoken candidly about his frustration following his side's 2-1 quarter-final defeat to England at the FIFA World Cup 2026, directing particular anger at a controversial equaliser scored by Jude Bellingham just before half-time.

The goal that fell from the sky

Solbakken's central grievance concerns the sequence of events leading to Bellingham's strike. According to the Norwegian boss, the ball — originating from a goal kick — appeared to strike the television camera cable suspended overhead before dropping into play, altering its trajectory in the process.

"The ball fell straight down from the sky and changed directions," said Solbakken. "It was unlucky for us." He also revealed that the referee admitted to seeing nothing wrong with the goal, and cast doubt on the in-ball movement chip, noting that it registered no movement to support his claim — yet insisting the visual evidence was clear.

"I cannot say anything on that because there is no movement in the chip. What can I say against that? But the ball falls straight down in front of Haaland," he added. "I wonder also what happened, but I think it is pretty clear that it did hit the wire. It was a strange thing."

VAR officials ultimately declined to intervene, allowing the goal to stand and level the match at 1-1.

Norway's missed chance before the controversy

The incident came shortly after Norway had squandered a golden opportunity to double their lead. Alexander Sørloth, through on goal in a two-on-one counter-attack, chose not to pass to a completely unmarked Erling Haaland — a decision Solbakken acknowledged as a significant turning point.

"We can sit here and complain, and maybe we can feel rightly that the small details did not go in our favor," said Solbakken. "Against Brazil, they did. That's how it is in football. But maybe we need those small details to go in our favor to beat England, Brazil, and other teams in the top five in the world."

Haaland's exit and Solbakken's praise

Solbakken also addressed the decision to substitute Haaland late in the match, insisting it was straightforward rather than bold. "It was not a tough decision because he was finished — and maybe I should have taken him out 10 minutes before," he said.

Haaland finished the tournament with seven goals in five matches, and Solbakken was effusive in his praise for the striker and the squad as a whole, calling their performances across the competition "phenomenal."

England manager Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, acknowledged that his side "just got lucky" at key moments during the quarter-final, and was critical of his team's overall display — though he later affirmed he is "fully in love" with his players after Bellingham pushed back on those remarks.