FIFA: ‘No evidence’ ball hit wire on regulation England goal

England’s lone regulation goal in its eventual 2-1 extra-time defeat of Norway in a World Cup quarterfinal Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida 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.

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 equalising 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 the winner of Saturday night’s match between Argentina and Switzerland in a semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday.

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