Cable Controversy Overshadows England-Norway Quarterfinal
England drew level with Norway at 1-1 in Saturday’s 2026 World Cup quarterfinal through a Jude Bellingham strike that followed a bizarre intervention by a FIFA skycam cable. The incident avoided a VAR review despite rules that appeared to require one, inviting comparison to Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal that ended England’s run at the 1986 World Cup and prompting talk of a “Cable of God” at the 2026 tournament.
Norway Lead Before The Equalizer
Norway took a 1-0 lead late in the first half when Andreas Schjelderup fired in a thunderous strike during the quarterfinal match between the two teams. England responded moments later as Bellingham answered with a lovely left-footed finish.
Television cameras captured Norway coach Stale Solbakken speaking with referee Clement Turpin after the goal. Norway striker Erling Haaland showed clear frustration as well.
How The Ball Reached Gordon
Television replay angles explained the reaction. After a goal kick from keeper Orjan Nyland, the ball appeared to strike one of the FIFA skycam cables and dropped to the feet of England’s Anthony Gordon before the move led to Bellingham’s equalizer.
During the match broadcast, former referee Mark Clattenburg noted that under FIFA rules the play should have stopped and a dropped ball should have resulted. Clattenburg added that the incident was a play that could have been reviewed by VAR, but no review followed.
Later VAR Call Against Norway
A review did come later in the match, but it worked against Norway. A potential go-ahead goal was taken off the board after VAR noted a foul by Haaland before the corner kick that produced the chance.
The match remained tied at 1-1 deep into the second half at the time of reporting, with the outcome still pending. No matter the final result, the non-review of the cable incident is expected to remain part of the discussion.
FIFA Response
Following the match, FIFA shared a post on social media, though the source material disclosed no substance of that post.