A former FIFA referee and rules expert has cast a clear verdict on whether Norway's opening goal vs England should have been brought back for a foul on Harry Kane in the buildup.
The Three Lions had dominated possession in the early exchanges of their World Cup quarter-final. But the first hydration break in Miami's hot and humid Hard Rock Stadium sparked new life into the Vikings, with Andreas Schjelderup producing a bolt from the blue as his cross-come-shot rebounded off the upright of the post and in.
Kane, Jordan Pickford, and others in the England camp were convinced a Norwegian defender had committed a foul in the buildup, but Christina Unkel wasn't so convinced, as she gave her reasoning for ITV.
Across the last eight World Cups, only four players have directly contributed to more goals than Harry Kane.
Former FIFA Referee Casts Verdict on Harry Kane Foul in Norway Opener
After reviewing the footage, Unkel - who served as State Referee Administrator for the Florida State Referee Committee, following years as a FIFA referee - explained on ITV (watch the incident below) :
"No [it wasn't a foul], we take a look at it and rock it back and forth, no contact on the back of Kane's foot - clear possession with no foul leading up to it."
Jude Bellingham Comes to the Rescue Once Again
Luckily for England, they weren't behind for long. Jude Bellingham scored his fifth goal of this summer after being played through by a slick Anthony Gordon ball during added time.
Thomas Tuchel has long been able to call on the Real Madrid midfielder for a saviour, and that was the case yet again. Having smelt blood in the very early knockings of the match, the German appeared to be passionately telling his players to move the ball quicker and play with more urgency during the hydration break, but it wasn't until the final 10 minutes that the Three Lions reacted to that message.
With all to play for in the second-half, England are hoping to make it past the quarter-finals for just the third time in their 11 total appearances at this stage of the World Cup. The last time they managed that was under Gareth Southgate in 2018, before they lost to Croatia.
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