Ian Wright and Roy Keane have hit back after Erling Haaland's father, Alfie, sarcastically congratulated referee Clement Turpin following England's dramatic World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway. The match, held at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, saw Norway take the lead in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup, who scored from a tight angle past Jordan Pickford. England equalized just before half-time through Jude Bellingham, who fired a composed left-footed finish beyond Orjan Nyland.
Controversial Disallowed Goal Sparks Debate
A major point of contention came after the restart when Torbjorn Heggem appeared to restore Norway's advantage with an emphatic close-range effort from a corner. However, the goal was disallowed for a shove by Erling Haaland on Elliot Anderson in the build-up. Haaland looked apoplectic as referee Turpin confirmed his decision. Bellingham then saved England again with a 93rd-minute strike on the rebound to send Thomas Tuchel's men through to the semi-finals.
Alfie Haaland's Social Media Reaction
Haaland's father, Alfie, was an ever-present figure in the stands throughout Norway's campaign and was pictured going through all the emotions on Saturday night. Shortly after the game, he wrote on X, 'Well done Bellingham and referee,' in response to Fabrizio Romano's tweet about the game. Five hours later, he suggested Norway had been 'robbed' of a place in the semi-finals, saying, 'Really? Saved by the referee. Hope you win the WC now. But feel we got robbed today.'
Wright and Keane Respond
Reacting to Alfie Haaland's remarks on Stick to Football, ex-England and Arsenal striker Wright was less than sympathetic. 'Is that sour grapes from Alf-Inge Haaland, saying well done to Bellingham and the referee?' he asked. 'I think that was just a bit of a low blow from him.' On Heggem's disallowed goal, Wright continued: 'He can't surely be referring to that because that was just a ridiculous push. In that particular moment, he's like six or seven inches taller, why does he need to be that aggressive with him? It's a massive foul. You can't be talking that.'
Shortly after the final whistle, FIFA stressed that there was 'no evidence' to back up Norway's claims that one of the Spidercam wires had been struck by the ball in the build-up to Bellingham's equaliser. Wright responded: 'If they're the governing body and they're saying that's it. I'm not saying that FIFA are holier than thou, but if there's not enough in it for them to overturn it, what we gonna do here. If their goalkeeper had an unbelievable game, a blinder, this and that, doesn't make that mistake… if [Alexander] Sorloth squares it, they're 2-0 up before half-time, you're not saying none of this! They lost this game because they made mistakes in that game. It's not because of the referee, the ball hitting the wire or whatever else they're saying. Foolishness!'
Roy Keane felt Norway had a right to feel slightly aggrieved as a result of the officiating but suggested Haaland snr let emotions get the better of him. 'I think the referee was giving England a lot of calls, 50-50s. I'm not talking about the major ones,' Keane said. 'He seemed to be just on the side of England which can happen in a game. I'm not sitting here going, "He's cost Norway", absolutely not. But there was calls when you're going… it could have gone the other way.' He later joked: 'Will he remember the game? Because he always seems to be drinking alcohol at the matches, the dad. No, he does! If you're having a drink then you're seeing the game differently.'
Gary Neville and Wright Praise England's Defense
Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville echoed Keane's comments, adding: 'No, I didn't think it was a game where, as an England fan, that I thought we were lucky because of the referee. I thought against Ghana we were lucky, when Ezri Konsa's penalty wasn't given, and that's when you are lucky, when you think you've got away with one.' Wright singled out Marc Guehi for special praise, applauding the defender for unsettling Haaland and refusing to get 'bullied' by his Manchester City team-mate. 'If one of the Ghanaian's dads, if that fella's [tackled by Konsa] dad said well done to Bellingham and the referee, I would have said, "You can't argue with that!"' he said. 'He [Haaland] must be carrying something. But you know what happens sometimes when you're playing against a team-mate? Things happen sometimes when you totally dominate them or it goes the other way. And I thought that Marc Guehi, in every type of interaction, I thought he was amongst him, he didn't get bullied off it, he fought for it.'
Haaland's Performance and Norway's Exit
Haaland appeared frustrated as he was substituted for Jorgen Strand Larsen in the closing stages, bringing an end to an exceptional debut World Cup for the centre-forward, in which he finished with seven goals. According to Keane, Haaland was let down by a lack of 'service' and Norway were ultimately beaten by a team with a 'bit more quality'. 'I wouldn't say he had a bad game!' he said. 'Before the game, we were saying about how he scores every 14 touches, so the fact is in general play… And also, for the other lads playing against him, obviously it depends on a bit of service. You look at games, you get to a quarter-final and they've done brilliant… you've ran your race, they've just ran their race. You just couldn't imagine Norway in the semi-finals, could you? And England have one or two players with a bit more quality than Norway.'
