Alf-Inge Haaland has taken aim at FIFA officials after Norway were denied by some controversial refereeing calls as England edged Norway 2-1 in their World Cup quarter-final.
The former defender's frustration boiled over on a night when the margins, and the big calls, all seemed to fall in England's favour. At the heart of it was Jude Bellingham, whose brace carried Thomas Tuchel's side through to a second semi-final in three tournaments.
Additionally, for Norway, having had a goal ruled out by VAR, they had another axe to grind following England's equaliser. Many argued it should never have stood with replays appearing to show the ball striking a camera cable in the build-up — contact that would ordinarily bring play to a halt.
It was a tense, finely balanced affair between two well-matched sides, settled less by a flood of chances than by a handful of pivotal moments — but one that has left a bad taste in Haaland's mouth. Astonishingly, the match produced just one yellow card, yet it hinged on two major VAR decisions and an offside goal chalked off from Harry Kane.
Haaland's Dad Calls Out Referee
Alf-Inge Haaland
Alf-Inge Haaland
For Norway, the sense of grievance was real: their team effort matched England for long stretches, but they came away with nothing despite their spirited effort. Following the game, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano's account posted after Bellingham's record-breaking display, signing off with 'Hey Jude'.
That grievance found its sharpest expression from Alfie Haaland himself, who responded to Romano's tribute to Bellingham — "Brace against Norway. Six goals in six World Cup games. Always there when England needed the most. Hey, Jude." — with a pointed, five-word jab of his own:
"Well done Bellingham and referee."
In reality, it was a frustrating evening for Haaland and Norway, whilst England themselves weren't overly impressive, with Tuchel later commending the mentality of his players but criticising their overall quality.
England players pose for a team group photo before the match Related
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England will play the winner of Argentina vs Switzerland in the World Cup semi-final next week, marking their fourth appearance at this stage.
Haaland's Lack of Impact in England Win
England's Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring vs NorwayEngland's Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring vs Norway via Reuters/Sam Navarro
Haaland was surprisingly quiet during the quarter-final tie, managing just one shot on target and completing just five passes out of the 13 he attempted, and his most notable moment was his foul on Elliot Anderson that denied a chance for his team to take the lead in the second half.
Norway originally took the lead through Benfica star Andreas Schjelderup in the first half, with a powerful cross/shot soaring past Jordan Pickford in a moment that sparked the game into life.
Bellingham hit back on the stroke of halftime, powering his way into the penalty area before firing a brilliant left-footed strike past Orjan Nyland to draw Thomas Tuchel's side level. Haaland's foul on Anderson curtailed Torbjorn Heggem's celebrations 10 minutes after halftime, when it looked as though Norway had gone 2-1 up, as the two sides then headed into extra time.
England struck quickly through Bellingham, who was on hand to tap in Nyland's parry, ensuring he is the first player to score back-to-back braces in the knockout stage since Diego Maradona, and the youngest ever to do so after Pele.