Schjelderup calls referee 'bitter' as FIFA rejects Norway's cable-strike protest over Bellingham equaliser

England survived a fierce Norwegian protest to reach the World Cup semi-finals, with FIFA rejecting Norway’s argument that Jude Bellingham’s late first-half equaliser should have been ruled out after the ball appeared to strike a camera cable suspended above the pitch.

Norway had taken a shock lead when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross deflected in off the post, but Bellingham levelled before scoring again in extra-time to send England through. FIFA rules state that play should be stopped if the ball makes contact with camera rigging, and Norway were adamant the incident had gone unaddressed.

Schjelderup did not hold back in his post-match assessment. “Unfortunately the margins were against us, the odds were against us,” he said. “Some decisions by the referee were a bit bitter. If we lost fully it would have been a bit different.”

Playmaker Martin Odegaard echoed those frustrations, saying Norway “didn’t get much help from the referee” and that the margins had gone against them. Asked specifically about Bellingham’s equaliser, Odegaard added: “I didn’t see it myself. Margins were not in our favour today with some of the decisions. Maybe you need that in games like this.”

A second Norwegian grievance centred on Erling Haaland, who was penalised for a foul in the second half, leading to Torbjorn Heggem’s strike being disallowed. The sequence of decisions left the Norwegian camp feeling the contest had not been decided purely on the pitch.

Manager Stale Solbakken, whose side had stunned Brazil to reach the quarter-finals, acknowledged the fine margins that separate success from elimination at this level. “I feel sorry for the lads,” he said. “This is top level sports at its best or its most gruesome. We were lucky against Brazil, today we were not so lucky. We had margins go in our favour against Brazil, but not today. Sometimes you’re lucky. The margins were not in our favour, but that’s life.”

England now advance to the semi-finals, with Bellingham’s brace — including the decisive goal in extra-time — at the centre of a controversy that Norway’s players and staff are unlikely to forget quickly.