Harry Kane protests foul as Norway takes shock World Cup lead
Harry Kane expressed his frustration after the referee dismissed appeals for a foul on the England captain during the buildup to Norway‘s surprise opening goal in their World Cup quarter-final.
England controlled possession for much of the first half but fell behind in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup struck a shot from wide that went in off the post, appearing to be an intended cross.
Before the goal, Kane believed Norway midfielder Patrick Berg committed an illegal challenge by coming through the back of the Three Lions striker.
Kane held his ankle while Norway pushed forward to score. The 32-year-old immediately appealed to referee Clement Turpin, hoping the official would disallow the goal.
Referee Turpin did not call for a VAR review and quickly signaled for play to restart, confirming the goal stood.
England may have felt aggrieved, noting that VAR previously ruled in Argentina’s favor for a foul much further back in the buildup to a goal against Egypt in the round of 16—a decision that helped the title holders secure a 3-2 victory.
However, ITV refereeing expert Christina Unkel disagreed, maintaining that the officiating team made the correct call.
“We can see very clearly, the Norway player was able to tip the ball, no contact to Kane’s ankle, so there’s no foul like in the Argentina vs Egypt game, a clear change of possession without a foul,” Unkel said.
Gary Neville supported this assessment, stating: “It’s not a free-kick, absolutely not.”
England eventually equalized through Jude Bellingham late in the first half. Moments later, Kane appeared to score, but the linesman raised his flag for offside, a decision that was later confirmed as correct.
