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Former Norway international Alf-Inge "Alfie" Haaland and father of star striker Erling Haaland expressed his disappointment after Norway's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign ended with a 2-1 extra-time defeat to England in the quarter-finals, claiming the Scandinavian side had been "robbed" in the contest.
Replying to a post on X by English sports journalist Henry Winter, Alfie wrote, "Really? Saved bye the referee. Hope you win the WC now. But feel we got robbed today." Winter had earlier praised England midfielder Jude Bellingham following his first-half equaliser, writing, "Odegaard was beginning to run the game. 'England's going home,' sang the Norway fans. Bellingham decides that's not going to happen. Takes over, takes responsibility, makes and takes a chance. What a player he is. Best I've seen in 35 years covering England. 1-1 h-t." Norway had taken the lead in Miami through Andreas Schjelderup after a bright opening spell in which Erling Haaland also tested Jordan Pickford. However, Bellingham struck in first-half stoppage time to restore parity before scoring again in extra time after goalkeeper Orjan Nyland spilled a Morgan Rogers effort into his path. England eventually secured a 2-1 victory to book a semi-final clash against defending champions Argentina, bringing an end to Norway's best-ever FIFA World Cup campaign. The quarter-final marked a historic milestone for Norway, which reached the last eight for the first time in tournament history after returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Coincidentally, Alfie Haaland was a member of Norway's 1998 squad, which famously defeated Brazil in the group stage before reaching the Round of 16. Despite the heartbreaking exit, Erling Haaland enjoyed another outstanding tournament. The striker scored in every group-stage match as well as in the Round of 32 and Round of 16, finishing as Norway's top scorer with six goals. England, however, succeeded where no competitive international opponent had managed for more than a year and a half, becoming the first team since Austria in October 2024 to prevent Haaland from scoring for Norway. The Manchester City forward had found the net in every competitive international for Norway over the previous 636 days. Haaland's overall international record now stands at 62 goals in 55 appearances, making him Norway's all-time leading scorer. Although the prolific striker was unable to add to that tally in the quarter-final, his goals played a pivotal role in Norway's memorable run to the last eight, a campaign that rekindled football fever across the country after a 28-year wait for a World Cup appearance. (ANI)
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