Norway briefly thought it found the go-ahead goal against England in the World Cup quarterfinals through Torbjørn Heggem, but a swift VAR review wiped the goal away in the 55th minute.
The Vikings took the surprise lead in Miami thanks to a stunning strike from Andreas Schjelderup just past the half-hour mark, only to see Jude Bellingham controversially equalize on the brink of halftime. Norway came out of the tunnel determined to retake the lead, and thought it accomplished its task on a well-worked set piece.
A quick sequence saw Schjelderup whip in a ball from the corner flag that Erling Haaland flicked forward, finding the right foot of Patrick Berg, who sent a first-time effort at goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
The Englishman’s save only went as far as Heggem, and the defender calmly poked the ball into the back of the net as he went to ground. Norway came together to celebrate its brief 2–1 lead, but there were players in red looking back at the referee, like they knew the goal could be taken away—which it was.
Why Heggem’s Goal Didn’t Count vs. England
Before the ball came into came into play, Haaland was battling to break free against England midfielder—and future Manchester City teammate—Elliot Anderson. The striker shoved his marker in the chest, sending Anderson to ground.
Haaland then was free to leap in the air and flick on the ball to his teammate, directly influencing the goal that came just seconds later.
Previously, the foul would not have been given since the ball was out of play, but one of the new rules for the 2026 World Cup states that VAR is allowed to intervene when an attacking foul before play starts leads to a goal.
Even though Haaland committed the foul before the ball is live, it is still punishable under the new guidelines, especially since he then got involved in the action that led to the goal.
Anderson no doubt went to ground easily, but Haaland clearly pushed the midfielder with both hands just seconds before Schjelderup’s delivery from the corner flag, ultimately costing Norway its second goal.
As the ball was not in play, the restart was a Norway corner, rather than an England free kick.
