World media has reacted strongly to England's 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals, with Norwegian outlets branding the match a 'refereeing scandal' after Jude Bellingham's equaliser was preceded by the ball striking an overhead spidercam cable.
Norway left 'sick' by spidercam controversy
Norwegian newspaper VG reported that the Norwegian camp believes goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland's clearance was stopped by a camera wire before England equalised. 'It's absolutely sick that something like that can happen. The referees can't have caught it. Then Norway would have had to storm the field for them to catch it. If it's the wire that stops it, then that ball should be dropped. It's extra bitter,' VG wrote.
NRK, Norway's national broadcaster, added: 'The Norwegian team was furious after England tied the game 1–1. Before the goal, Ørjan hits the camera wire across the field, so the ball is shorter than it should have been. The referees should have looked into that. If it turns out that the ball hit the cable, we are in for the refereeing scandal of the ages.'
Dagbladet: Norway's World Cup adventure ends but players celebrated
Dagbladet struck a more positive tone, writing: 'Snipp, snipp, snoot ... last night the World Cup adventure was over for Norway. England won 2-1 in the quarter-finals. But rarely have Norwegian players been more cheerful after a loss. The World Cup ended up as a huge, Norwegian party.' The paper noted that players will be celebrated at the castle square in Oslo over the next few days, and that coach Ståle Solbakken, who 'united the nation', was 'fairly drained of energy' after 40-50 intense days.
Guardian: Bellingham takes Tuchel's message to heart
The Guardian reported that Thomas Tuchel's message was for England to 'release the handbrake and go for it' at the business end of the World Cup. 'Happily for Tuchel, he had a player in Jude Bellingham who took him at his word. Every one of them. Bellingham had shone previously at this tournament but he moved to another level here when it mattered the most.'
Olé (Argentina): England show character
Argentine outlet Olé praised England's resilience: 'England may not be dazzling, but they have character. They showed it against Mexico, winning a heated match as the away team. They confirmed it today, overcoming numerous setbacks to reach the coveted semi-final. Neither Schjelderup's early stunner, nor the sweltering Miami heat, nor the virus that forced Declan Rice to leave the field at halftime, could stop them.'
L'Equipe (France): Bellingham steals the show
L'Equipe noted that England returned to the semi-finals by eliminating Norway 2-1 after extra time. 'Since the start of the World Cup, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have taken turns playing the role of savior of the nation. But this Saturday in Miami, against a fiercely competitive Norway, it was the Madrid player's turn to steal the show.'
Fox Sports (USA): England's critics say they got lucky
Fox Sports commented: 'To the dismay of England's biggest haters, it might be finally coming home. England took down Norway in extra time, winning 2-1. But as the Three Lions didn't need penalty kicks to advance, there were enough things that went down that could lead to England's critics to say that it got lucky.'
England will face Argentina in the semi-finals, with Scottish hopes now pinned on the South Americans.
