Alf-Inge Haaland has taken aim at FIFA officials after Norway were denied by some controversial refereeing calls as England edged Norway 2-1 in their World Cup quarter-final.
The former defender’s frustration boiled over on a night when the margins, and the big calls, all seemed to fall in England’s favour. At the heart of it was Jude Bellingham, whose brace carried Thomas Tuchel‘s side through to a second semi-final in three tournaments.
It was a tense, finely balanced affair between two well-matched sides, settled less by a flood of chances than by a handful of pivotal moments — but one that has left a bad taste in Haaland’s mouth. Astonishingly, the match produced just one yellow card, yet it hinged on two major VAR decisions and an offside goal chalked off from Harry Kane.
That grievance found its sharpest expression from Alfie Haaland himself, who responded to Romano’s tribute to Bellingham — “Brace against Norway. Six goals in six World Cup games. Always there when England needed the most. Hey, Jude.” — with a pointed, five-word jab of his own:
England’s Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring vs Norway via Reuters/Sam Navarro
Haaland was surprisingly quiet during the quarter-final tie, managing just one shot on target and completing just five passes out of the 13 he attempted, and his most notable moment was his foul on Elliot Anderson that denied a chance for his team to take the lead in the second half.
Norway originally took the lead through Benfica star Andreas Schjelderup in the first half, with a powerful cross/shot soaring past Jordan Pickford in a moment that sparked the game into life.
Bellingham hit back on the stroke of halftime, powering his way into the penalty area before firing a brilliant left-footed strike past Orjan Nyland to draw Thomas Tuchel‘s side level. Haaland’s foul on Anderson curtailed Torbjorn Heggem’s celebrations 10 minutes after halftime, when it looked as though Norway had gone 2-1 up, as the two sides then headed into extra time.
England struck quickly through Bellingham, who was on hand to tap in Nyland’s parry, ensuring he is the first player to score back-to-back braces in the knockout stage since Diego Maradona, and the youngest ever to do so after Pele.
The long-awaited comeback of UFC legend Conor McGregor ended in disastrous fashion on Saturday night.
The Irish superstar appeared to blow his right knee out while throwing his very strike against Max Holloway at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The former two-division champion was returning to the Octagon for the first time since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
Now 37 years old, there was considerable doubt that ‘The Notorious’ would be able to turn the clock back inside the cage, but nobody expected his comeback fight to end so swiftly.
Conor McGregor Sustains Serious Injury at UFC 329
McGregor came out of his corner looking to make a fast start and leaped into the air in order to try and land a jumping roundhouse kick. However, as he landed on the mat, his right leg gave way. Slow-motion replays showed his foot shifting to the side as he made contact with the mat.
From that point on, Conor couldn’t put any weight on his right leg. He bravely attempted to continue in the bout, but kept falling down whenever he tried to throw a strike.
Holloway immediately realised that something was wrong and tried to alert the referee to the fact that McGregor was badly injured. The official gave the returning star every chance to continue in the bout.
Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
However, the damage was already done and the fight was waved off after just 69 seconds, with Max picking up a TKO victory to avenge his August 2013 loss to McGregor.
Holloway Wants Third Fight With McGregor
In his post-fight interview, ‘Blessed’ pushed the idea of the pair meeting in a trilogy fight to decide their rivalry. It remains to be seen, though, whether McGregor will ever compete again.
The defeated fighter was clearly devastated at the outcome and left the Octagon before speaking to Joe Rogan after the fight.
If he is to return to action, McGregor likely faces an extended period of rehabilitation before he is even able to start training again. Having already battled back from one serious leg injury, few would blame him if he wanted to hang up his gloves.
Breel Embolo played his final part at the 2026 World Cup as the striker was shown a second yellow card in controversial circumstances in Switzerland’s clash with Argentina.
The Rennes forward had already been booked in the first half for a foul on Leandro Paredes before getting involved with the same player in the second period, eventually receiving his marching orders as a new FIFA rule came into play.
Switzerland had battled back to equalise through Nottingham Forest winger Dan Ndoye after Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister had headed Argentina into the lead. It’s the second game in a row where Lionel Scaloni’s men have been on the right side of a huge VAR call.
Embolo Falls Victim to Newly Introduced World Cup Rule
Embolo and Paredes went into a challenge, and it was the man in blue and white who was originally penalised and shown a yellow card. However, replays showed Embolo was the one to initiate any slight contact there had been between the two men.
That prompted VAR to get involved and recommend an on-field review under the newly introduced ‘mistaken identity’ law. VAR couldn’t previously overturn yellow cards, but have been given the opportunity to do so at the World Cup.
When it became apparent the Swiss No.7 initiated contact and simulated his fall, the referee overruled his earlier decision and instead showed him a second yellow. The attacker had to be dragged off the pitch in tears as he tried to plead his case to the official. Watch the incident below.
Rio Ferdinand Reacts to ‘Crazy Scenes’
Rio Ferdinand
IFAB rules were changed ahead of this summer’s competition, and now state: “When the referee shows a yellow or red card but has clearly penalised the wrong player of either team for the offence in question, the offence itself cannot be reviewed except in the context of mistaken identity.”
Conor McGregor entered the Octagon for his comeback after five years away full of confidence, to the Notorious hip hop song, and a sea of smoke, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, for his main event fight at UFC 329 against long-time rival Max Holloway.
It was a long time coming for McGregor, and he even got a new haircut — a mohawk — for the occasion. But on Saturday, the 11th of July, he got all the confidence beaten out of him early, only it wasn’t Holloway who beat him, or it was himself as McGregor injured himself throwing his very first kick.
He tried to start hard and fast but fell twice from his opening two kicks, managed to get back to his feet after slipping around the mat, but fell, for a third time, whenever he threw a strike. Even Holloway looked concerned at the referee, as if it should be stopped. Eventually, it was. McGregor couldn’t defend himself.
