‘I can sit here and cry but…’: Norway coach breaks silence on Jude Bellingham goal controversy

Norway goalkeeper Oerjan Nyland looks on as England’s Jude Bellingham prepares to score his team’s second goal (AP Photo) Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken has spoken about the controversial handling of Jude Bellingham’s equalizer against England, insisting it was “quite clear” the ball hit the overhead camera cable before the goal.The incident occurred late in the first half of Norway’s World Cup quarter-final defeat when goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland kicked a goal that appeared to hit a camera wire suspended above the pitch. England quickly regained possession and Bellingham completed the move to level the scores.Nyland and Solbakken immediately appealed to the referee as they believed the game should have been stopped. However, the protests were dismissed and the goal stood.Television footage showed the ball touching the cable. However, FIFA later claimed that “there is no evidence that the ball touched the top wire and changed the movement of the ball”.Explaining the referee’s response, Solbakken said the official was not aware of any contact.“He said he didn’t see it himself and that he didn’t get any news that it actually happened.” “Because Fifa says there was no contact, I can’t do anything about it. But the ball fell right in front of the bench, so it happened. Everyone saw what happened. I think it’s pretty clear that there was. It was a strange thing.”According to the rules of the game, if the referee or match officials determine that the ball has touched an external object such as the overhead cable, play should be stopped and restarted with a dropped ball. As the officials did not detect any contact, play continued without interruption and England scored.Despite his disappointment, Solbakken refused to dwell on the incident and instead chose to praise his players for their efforts throughout the tournament.“I can sit here and cry but I don’t want to. We did everything we could – the players were phenomenal throughout the tournament. OK, it was bizarre but it’s part of football and why it’s the best sport in the world because things like this can happen. We have to accept it,” he said.The Norwegian boss also felt the unexpected trajectory of the ball after the alleged contact caused confusion among his players at the crucial moment.“It was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight from the sky, so it’s going this way. There was a misunderstanding between our players and it was a bad moment for us. We can’t do anything about it. I don’t think we’ll play the game again, so that’s how it is,” he added.England eventually won 2–1 after extra time, with Bellingham scoring both goals to send the Three Lions into the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.