Bellingham's equaliser against Norway should have been ruled out after ball struck TV cable

Jude Bellingham’s equalising goal for England against Norway in the 2026 World Cup quarter-final should have been disallowed, after the ball struck an overhead TV cable during the build-up — an incident that sparked furious protests from Erling Haaland and the Norway squad.

Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s goal kick hit the overhead television cable before possession was claimed by England, who surged forward and finished the move through Bellingham, who slotted calmly past Nyland shortly before half-time. Under the laws of the game, any instance of the ball making contact with overhead infrastructure requires play to be halted and restarted with a drop ball. The referee did not intervene.

Haaland led vocal protests directed at the match official, and several Norway players made clear they were aware of the incident. Studio pundits covering the game acknowledged that the ball was difficult to track in the air, but former referee Mark Clattenburg was unequivocal: contact with the TV cable should always result in the game being stopped.

The moment came after a lively opening to the quarter-final. Norway had taken the lead through an astonishing finish from Andreas Schjelderup, whose attempted cross flew directly into the top corner. England had survived an earlier scare when a John Stones error almost gifted Haaland a clear run on goal, and Alexander Sorloth also failed to convert from a two-on-one counter-attack before Bellingham’s disputed leveller.

England were further fortunate in the second half when a Norway goal was ruled out. Haaland was adjudged to have shoved Elliot Anderson — his future Manchester City team-mate — in the build-up to a set-piece finish from the Norwegians, and the goal was chalked off.

The result leaves England still in contention for a place in the last four of the 2026 World Cup, though the manner of their survival will do little to silence questions about the officiating across a chaotic quarter-final.