Norway's elimination in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup not only left a deep sporting disappointment, but also a strong controversy off the field of play. Alfie Haaland, former soccer player and father of striker Erling Haaland, publicly questioned the actions of French referee Clément Turpin and assured that the Scandinavian team was harmed during the match against England.

The match ended with a 2-1 English victory after extra time, despite Norway having taken the lead in the 36th minute. Jude Bellingham was the protagonist of the comeback with a double, including the final goal in the 93rd minute.

After the match, Alfie Haaland took to the social network X to express his dissatisfaction with what happened during the match.

"Saved by the referee. I hope they win the World Cup, but I feel like they robbed us today," the former player wrote.

One of the most discussed moments occurred in the play that led to England's partial tie. During the Fox broadcast, the cameras captured an image that raised doubts about possible contact of the ball with the aerial camera cable before the action of the goal.

Given the controversy, FIFA issued a statement to explain its technological analysis of the incident.

"Prior to England's 45 2 minute goal against Norway, the sensor on the ball did not show any spike in the 'ball beat' when it was in the air, and therefore there is no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the ball's movement."

The organization accompanied its explanation with a video to support the conclusion that the ball did not modify its trajectory due to contact with the structure suspended above the field.

Erling Haaland highlighted Norway's historic impact in the World Cup

While the refereeing discussion occupied a good part of the post-match conversation, Erling Haaland chose to focus his analysis on the sporting growth of the Norwegian team during the tournament.

The Manchester City forward considered that the team's greatest achievement was having taken the country to a competitive stage that it had never reached before.

"I think it has been incredible. The performance is one thing, beating Brazil is one thing, but the way Norway has been, how we have put Norway on the map, is perhaps what moves me the most," he declared in the mixed zone.

The attacker insisted that the campaign can become a starting point for the future of Norwegian football.

"That really touches my heart: we put Norway on the map. Hopefully now we can consolidate something in terms of Euro Cups, World Cups and everything else, because our generation is incredible," he added.

He also sent a message aimed at the new generations of footballers in his country.

“I hope this motivates the young people there in Norway and shows them that it is possible to play on the biggest stage in the world wearing the Norwegian jersey.”

Despite the elimination, Haaland surprised by revealing that he will support England for the rest of the championship.

Haaland closed his first World Cup participation with seven goals in five games, a performance that helped Norway reach the quarterfinals of a World Cup for the first time in its history.