Erling Haaland furious at VAR decision: Norway exits World Cup

One of the brightest stars in the football world, Erling Haaland, did not hide his frustration after the Norway national team's dramatic quarter-final defeat to England in the World Cup. In the match held at a stadium in Miami, the Norwegians lost 2-1 and were forced to leave the tournament. However, after the final whistle, the focus was not on the result, but on a controversial refereeing decision. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

In the second half of the match, a goal scored by Torbjorn Lysaker Heggem was disallowed following a VAR intervention. The referees ruled that Erling Haaland had committed a foul in a challenge with his future Manchester City teammate, Elliot Anderson, before the goal was scored. This specific situation became the turning point of the game and extinguished Norway's hopes of victory.

VAR decision and Haaland's protest

According to Goal.com, the 25-year-old striker stated in a post-match interview that he felt "empty and bitter." Haaland believes that the struggle between him and Elliot Anderson was a normal play, and calling a foul in such situations goes against the nature of football. The striker labeled the referees' decision as extremely "weak" and baseless.

"To be honest, I feel empty inside right now. I think we deserved more. I don't believe there was a foul in that situation. I fought with Elliot Anderson just like in every duel, he fell, and the goal was disallowed. If that's a foul, then I should be getting a free-kick in every game, in every situation, because I get pushed and pulled all the time," Erling Haaland emphasized.

Another member of the Norway national team, Fulham midfielder Sander Berge, also supported his teammate's views. According to him, the refereeing criteria on the international stage are becoming incomprehensible. Berge added that if such contact were penalized in the English Premier League, dozens of penalties would be awarded every round.

Top scorers race of the tournament

Despite his team's exit from the tournament, Erling Haaland remains one of the best players of the World Cup in terms of individual performance. He managed to score 7 goals during the competition and secured a place in the top three of the goalscoring race. Currently, only Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who have scored 8 goals each, are ahead of him.

This defeat was a bitter pill for Norway, as the team had been playing their best football on the road to the quarter-finals, defeating giants like Brazil. However, in the heat of Miami, small details and the VAR decision put an end to the Scandinavians' semi-final dreams. Now, Haaland will focus his attention on the new season with Manchester City and playing for the same club as Elliot Anderson.