Norway bid farewell to the 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 loss to England in the quarter-finals, but the exit was not without controversy, after its players believed that the equalizer scored by Jude Bellingham should have been disallowed for an unusual reason.

The Norwegian national team, according to the British network BBC, believed that the ball hit one of the camera wires suspended above the pitch in Miami during the build-up to the play that ended with Bellingham's goal. According to the laws of the game, had it been proven that the ball touched the wire, the goal should have been disallowed and play restarted with a dropped ball.

Norway and Fulham midfielder Sander Berge said: 'What happened with the wire is unbelievable. The 2-1 scoreline confirms that the margins were very small, and we know well which way they tilted.'

For his part, Norway captain Martin Ødegaard expressed his displeasure with some refereeing decisions, saying: 'I didn't see the play myself, but the small details were not in our favor today. Maybe you need such luck in matches like these.'

Tuchel said there is an electronic chip inside the ball that can tell you if even a hair touches it (AFP).

This was not the only incident that angered the Norwegians, as the referee disallowed a goal scored by Torbjørn Heggem in the second half after a VAR review, due to Erling Haaland pushing English player Elliott Anderson during a corner kick.

Berge said: 'Haaland having immense physical strength is an advantage, but you get punished if you hold the opponent.'

England was trailing by a goal from Andreas Schjelderup when the controversy occurred in stoppage time of the first half. Replays showed that goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland's goal kick passed close to the suspended camera wire, before the ball fell in front of Elliott Anderson, who passed it to Anthony Gordon, who then set it up for Bellingham to calmly score the equalizer.

A number of Norwegian players quickly surrounded French referee Clément Turpin demanding the goal be disallowed, while coach Ståle Solbakken was seen discussing with the referee at halftime.

Solbakken said: 'The referee told me he didn't see the play himself and didn't receive any confirmation that it happened. That's a logical explanation, and if FIFA says the ball didn't touch the wire and no signal came from the electronic chip inside the ball, then the referee can't do anything.'

He added: 'But the ball suddenly dropped from the sky in front of the substitutes' bench, so I think it touched the wire. Many on the bench noticed it immediately, even though I wasn't one of them.'

For his part, former England striker Wayne Rooney told BBC: 'It seems the ball's trajectory changed and then it dropped quickly, as if something altered its direction.'

Later, FIFA announced that there is 'no evidence' of the ball touching the wire.

FIFA explained via its media account that the electronic sensor inside the ball did not register any change in signal while it was in the air, meaning there is no evidence of it hitting the wire or its path being altered by it.

FIFA clarified that the electronic sensor inside the ball did not register any change in signal while it was in the air (AFP).

Despite this, Solbakken stuck to his opinion, saying: 'If the chip didn't emit any signal, I can't argue with that, but everyone, including the goalkeeper and the player who was waiting for the ball, saw that it suddenly fell from the sky. For me, it was clear, and it was a very strange play.'

This incident comes just days after a similar controversy in the tournament, when the 'Snicko' technology was used to help disallow a goal for Croatia against Portugal in the round of 32, after the electronic chip detected a slight touch by Igor Matanović, who was in an offside position.

As for England coach Thomas Tuchel, he said: 'There is an electronic chip inside the ball that can tell you if even a hair touches it, as happened in the Croatia-Portugal match, so it should be able to determine whether it touched the wire here. Personally, I didn't see the play.'

Tuchel, in turn, acknowledged that luck was on his team's side in some crucial moments, saying: 'I'm not saying we won by luck, but we were lucky in the deciding moments.'