FIFA: 'No evidence' ball hit wire on regulation England goal vs. Norway

England's lone regulation goal in its eventual 2-1 extra-time defeat of Norway in a ​World Cup quarterfinal Saturday in ​Miami Gardens, Fla. , was not without controversy.

Norway argued -- and video ​replay appeared to show -- that a goal kick from their goalkeeper Orjan Nyland bounced off a wire supporting an in-stadium camera and redirected to an England player, setting up the ‌sequence which ended with ⁠Jude ⁠Bellingham's tying goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

"That was unlucky for us," Norway ​manager Stale Solbakken said of that sequence after the match. "The ball fell straight down from ​the sky, so it changed its direction. It became a misunderstanding among our players and it was a bad moment for us, but we can't do ​anything about that."


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Per FIFA's rule, a ball bouncing ⁠off a ‌wire would lead to a stoppage in play and a drop ball to decide possession. But the association spoke out against this possibility ⁠shortly after the match ended.

"Before England's goal in minute ​45+2 against Norway, the sensor in the Connected Ball showed ​no peak in the 'heartbeat of the ball' when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball," a FIFA statement said.

The "heartbeat of the ball" is the same technology used to overturn Croatia's equalizing goal late in extra time of ‌its 2-1 round of 32 loss to Portugal when technology in the ball sensed a headed touch with the goalscorer ​in offside position in ​one of the ⁠other main controversies of this year's tournament.

This time, though, play wasn't stopped to check the sensor, although it's possible it was checked by VAR in the brief downtime ​after Bellingham's goal.

Norway also had a go-ahead second-half goal overturned after it was ruled that Erling Haaland pushed a defender down in the leadup to the goal being scored by Torbjorn Heggem off a corner kick.

England will face Argentina, a 3-1 winner in extra time over Switzerland later Saturday night, in a semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday.