Alf-Inge Haaland was in the stadium to watch Norway’s defeat to England (Image: ITV)
Erling Haaland‘s dad, Alf-Inge, offered a bitter reaction after watching England dump Norway out of World Cup from the stands. The 53-year-old former footballer was inside the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to watch his son’s side lose 2-1 to a Jude Bellingham brace. England came from behind after Andreas Schjelderup’s cross had found the back of the net to give Norway a 1-0 lead 36 minutes in. There was some controversy around Bellingham’s equaliser with claims that the ball struck the camera cable before the midfielder, Haaland Jr’s former team-mate at Borussia Dortmund, brought the Three Lions level.
FIFA later denied this in a statement, which read: “Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, the sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball.” Norway also later had a goal ruled out from Torbjorn Heggem that would have made it 2-1 to the Scandinavians.
Erling Haaland was punished for a foul on Elliot Anderson at a corner-kick which saw the goal ruled out after a VAR check. Because Martin Odegaard had not yet taken his corner, Norway were allowed to retake the set-piece despite having their goal cancelled out.
And replying to a Fabrizio Romano post pointing out that Bellingham has now scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup, Haaland Sr wrote: “Well done Bellingham and referee.”
The former Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City player was flooded with replies from England supporters mocking him. The elder Haaland was also shown on TV at one point accusing Djed Spence of diving after the Three Lions were awarded a penalty in extra time.
Referee Clement Turpin overruled his initial decision after consulting the VAR monitor. After that, the cameras showed Alf-Inge sat in the stands making a diving gesture with both hands before then directing a crude two-finger gesture towards the England fans.
On the disallowed Heggem goal, Norway captain Martin Odegaard told NRK: “The little I’ve seen looks very soft, but I haven’t seen it again so I won’t say too much.” While team-mate Sander Berge added: “It should be a goal, every day of the week. You never know which way it will go.”
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Torbjorn Heggem had a goal ruled out for an Erling Haaland foul (Image: Getty)
Torbjorn Heggem’s finish was chalked off after a VAR check (Image: Getty)
England legend Wayne Rooney said on the BBC‘s post-match reaction: “That’s not a foul. It’s not a foul. I think we’ve been lucky there thankfully. Elliot Anderson’s arm is around Haaland and you’re allowed to use force to get him off you. I don’t think he’s absolutely launched him, he’s just brushed him off. For me it is not a foul.”
While Norway manager Stale Solbakken reflected: “This is at the highest level you can reach and after a bit of a difficult 20 minutes we played a heroic game in every way possible. And the boys, I can’t praise them enough.
“After the first water break, we are very good, playing fantastic football against a great team. It didn’t quite work out, you just have to keep going.”
Skipper Odegaard added: “Disappointed and heavy, especially the way we lost. I feel like we have a lot of good things going for us and are close and I feel like it could have easily gone our way. Then it’s extra sad.
“We have to be proud of what we have done. In the whole championship, today. We are here for the first time in a long time. We are making a mark in the way we do and the whole world is talking about us.
“A quarter-final in the World Cup is a great achievement. We can be very proud. And then there is something we can do better, and we can develop even more”