​Andreas Schjelderup broke the deadlock in a scoreless World Cup quarterfinal against England, curling Norway’s opener past a stretched defense after a buildup that featured a disputed non-call on Harry Kane. The decision—or lack thereof—immediately drew comparisons to Egypt’s controversial VAR reversal against Argentina a few days earlier, reopening questions about how consistently officials police fouls that lead to goals.
Norway had never before reached a World Cup quarterfinal, and Schjelderup’s goal extended a push that had started with a group-stage scramble and gained momentum with a 2-1 upset of Brazil in the Round of 16, according to a USA Today piece by Jacob Camenker. Schjelderup’s finish arrived in the 36th minute at Hard Rock Stadium, as Martin Ødegaard threaded a ball into space. Schjelderup intercepted a pass from Kane near midfield, cut inside Ezri Konsa, and delivered a left-footed strike that hit the underside of the crossbar before beating goalkeeper Jordan Pickford clean.
Kane immediately pressed for a whistle, feeling that Schjelderup’s challenge in the buildup crossed the line, and a chorus of English voices around the stadium groaned when no foul was called. The referee allowed play to continue, and VAR did not intervene to review the sequence, allowing the goal to stand.
Four days earlier, in the Round of 16, Egypt had seen a nearly identical sequence go the other way. Mostafa Zico finished a breakaway that would have doubled Egypt’s lead, but VAR ruled a foul by Marawan Attia on Lisandro Martínez well before the play unfolded, nullifying the goal, according to FOX Sports’ breakdown. Analyst Rob Green argued that the review went too far downfield, suggesting that “someone stepping on someone’s toe is not why VAR was brought into the game,” as he put it for FOX Sports. Fellow analyst Joe Machnik took the opposite view, contending that the foul in the attacking phase justified the call regardless of field position. Argentina subsequently survived a free kick and relied on a late Lionel Messi equalizer to level the match at 2-2.
Norway avoided such a review on Saturday, and no official explanation was given for the different treatment compared with Egypt’s overturned goal. Whether this represents a genuine distinction between the two challenges or simply inconsistent enforcement of the phase-of-play standard remains a point of debate, and England fans will likely ponder the potential implications for the rest of the tournament during what is being described as the sport’s most significant week.
England did recover to go into halftime tied after a Jude Bellingham strike, which tempered the sense of grievance surrounding the non-call. Norway’s dilemma on the left flank had persisted for weeks: Schjelderup and Antonio Nusa both pressed for the same starting berth, and Ståle Solbakken ultimately handed Schjelderup the starting role after his halftime substitute sparked the win over Brazil, according to Sky, potentially for better SEO and clarity in future coverage. The result set up a tense, widely discussed match that will be dissected for its refereeing decisions and their perceived consistency as the tournament progressed.