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The Scandinavian side believed they had taken the lead for the second time in their World Cup quarter-final clash, but their celebrations were short-lived.

England narrowly escaped falling 2-1 behind to Norway during their quarter-final encounter at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. On the 55th minute, Torbjorn Heggem appeared to have restored Norway’s advantage by poking the ball into the net, sparking joy among their supporters — but the goal was soon ruled out.

The video assistant referee (VAR) intervened, advising match referee Clement Turpin to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor. Upon inspection, Erling Haaland was deemed to have pushed Elliot Anderson in the build-up, just before Martin Odegaard delivered the corner kick.

As the Arsenal captain swung in the set-piece, confusion reigned in the England box. The ball was not properly cleared, allowing Heggem to bundle it over the line and ignite wild celebrations among the Norwegian contingent.

England’s players immediately protested to Turpin, prompting the referee to check the replay. After reviewing the footage, Turpin disallowed the goal due to Haaland’s push on Anderson.

Kristoffer Ajer was seen voicing his frustration after the decision. Announcing his final verdict to the crowd, Turpin explained: “After review, No.9 of Norway pushed deliberately the defender before the ball was in play. Final decision, corner be retaken.”

ITV’s referee analyst Christina Unkel provided her thoughts prior to the official call, stating: “They are checking Haaland’s full extension of that push. The question for VAR is whether that contact prevented [Anderson] from making a meaningful defensive impact. I would be surprised if there was not a recommendation to overturn this goal.”

The decision sparked further debate when Norway were awarded another corner rather than England being granted a free kick for the offence. The incident also showcased FIFA’s new rule in action — the goal was disallowed due to a foul committed before the corner was taken, reinforcing how the updated regulation is applied in such situations.

This was not the first contentious moment involving referee Turpin in the match. Earlier in the first half, Harry Kane appeared to be fouled in the build-up to Norway’s opening goal, which was converted by Andreas Schjelderup in the 35th minute.