England’s run at the 1986 World Cup came to a dramatic end due to the “Hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona.
Why England’s equalizer against Norway should not have counted
Jude Bellingham’s equalizer against Norway needed another look from VAR
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Could their run at the 2026 World Cup continue due to the “Cable of God?”
Norway took a 1-0 lead late in the first half during Saturday’s Quarterfinal match between the two teams, thanks to a thunderous strike from Andreas Schjelderup.
However, England pulled level moments later, on a lovely left-footed strike from Jude Bellingham:
But should the goal have even counted?
FOX Sports cameras spotted Norway coach Stale Solbakken chatting with referee Clement Turpin after the goal, and Norway striker Erling Haaland was frustrated as well:
Eventually, replay angles showed why. After a goal kick from keeper Orjan Nyland, the ball appeared to strike one of the FIFA skycam cables, falling to the feet of England’s Anthony Gordon:
On the FOX Sports broadcast, former referee Mark Clattenburg noted that under FIFA rules, the play should have stopped, and a dropped-ball resulted.
Clattenburg also noted that this was a play that could have been reviewed by VAR, but no review followed.
A review did come later in the match, but that potential go-ahead goal was taken off the board after VAR noted a foul by Haaland before Norway’s corner kick:
The match remains tied at 1-1 deep into the second half, but no matter the result, expect that non-review to be part of the discussion.
See More:
