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Was VAR right to overturn England penalty?
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36'
Goal Andreas SCHJELDERUP (Norway) scores!!
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45'+2'
Goal Jude BELLINGHAM (England) scores!!
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93'
Goal Jude BELLINGHAM (England) scores!!
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117'
Yellow card Kristoffer AJER (Norway) is booked by
Norway squad
- Selected
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1 Orjan NYLAND Goalkeeper
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3 Kristoffer AJER Defender
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5 David MOLLER WOLFE Defender
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6 Patrick BERG Midfielder
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7 Alexander SORLOTH Forward
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8 Sander BERGE Midfielder
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9 Erling HAALAND Forward
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10 Martin ODEGAARD C Midfielder
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17 Torbjorn HEGGEM Defender
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21 Andreas SCHJELDERUP Midfielder
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26 Julian RYERSON Forward
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2 Morten Thorsby Midfielder
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4 Leo OSTIGARD Defender
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11 Jorgen STRAND LARSEN Forward
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12 Sander TANGVIK Goalkeeper
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13 Egil SELVIK Goalkeeper
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14 Fredrik AURSNES Midfielder
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15 Fredrik Andre BJORKAN Defender
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16 Marcus HOLMGREN PEDERSEN Defender
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18 Kristian Thorstvedt Midfielder
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19 Thelo AASGAARD Midfielder
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20 Antonio NUSA Forward
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22 Oscar BOBB Midfielder
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23 Jens Petter HAUGE Midfielder
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24 Sondre LANGAS Defender
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25 Henrik FALCHENER Defender
England squad
- Selected
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1 Jordan PICKFORD Goalkeeper
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2 Ezri KONSA Defender
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3 Nico OREILLY Defender
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4 Declan RICE Midfielder
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5 John STONES Defender
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6 Marc GUEHI Defender
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8 Elliot ANDERSON Midfielder
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9 Harry KANE C Forward
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10 Jude BELLINGHAM Midfielder
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18 Anthony GORDON Forward
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20 Noni MADUEKE Forward
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7 Bukayo SAKA Forward
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11 Marcus RASHFORD Forward
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12 Trevoh CHALOBAH Defender
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13 Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
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14 Jordan HENDERSON Midfielder
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15 Dan BURN Defender
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16 Kobbie MAINOO Midfielder
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17 Morgan ROGERS Midfielder
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19 Ollie WATKINS Forward
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21 Eberechi EZE Midfielder
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22 Ivan TONEY Forward
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23 James TRAFFORD Goalkeeper
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24 Reece JAMES Defender
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25 Djed SPENCE Defender
- Full squad
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26 Jarell QUANSAH Defender
England had a penalty overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR) during their FIFA World Cup 2026 fixture against Norway in Miami. The spot-kick had initially been awarded following contact between England's Djed Spence and Norway's Oscar Bobb, but the on-field decision was reversed after a VAR review determined that Spence had initiated the contact, prompting debate over whether the intervention was correct.
The incident occurred during the first half of extra time, indicating the match was finely balanced and had progressed beyond 90 minutes. The tie forms part of England's run in the tournament, with the team scheduled to feature in the World Cup semi-final, shown live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 15 July at 19:00 BST. The BBC coverage of the decision includes video analysis assessing the merits of the VAR call.
In short
- England's penalty against Norway overturned by VAR in Miami.
- Djed Spence judged to have initiated contact with Oscar Bobb.
- Decision came in the first half of extra time.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
VAR exists to correct clear errors in decisions, and if the replays demonstrated that Spence initiated contact, then Bobb was entitled to defend by holding his ground or shielding the ball. The on-field referee made an objective mistake in awarding the penalty when the attacking player caused the incident, and VAR properly intervened to restore the correct decision. Permitting such contact to stand would reward attackers for initiating challenges and then claiming fouls, compromising the game's integrity.
The case against
Defending in the penalty box inherently involves close physical contact, and even if Spence initiated movement into the space, Bobb's response still impeded him in a manner that warrants a penalty. The on-field referee's decision merits deference, and VAR should intervene only for truly clear and obvious errors; this incident was sufficiently marginal that reasonable observers could legitimately disagree, placing it below that threshold. Overturning such closely-balanced contact decisions erodes confidence in refereeing and unfairly punishes attackers for normal movement in congested areas.
Explained simply
Video assistant referee, or VAR, is a technology used in football to review key decisions made by the on-pitch referee. It allows officials to examine replays of incidents and change their original decision if evidence suggests they were mistaken.
England is competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, attempting to progress through the tournament stages. This incident occurred during the match against Norway, with the team aiming to reach the semi-final, a late stage of the competition where only four teams remain.
Penalties are critical moments in football as they award a clear scoring opportunity that often determines a match's outcome. The decision to overturn a penalty is therefore significant because it changes what would have been a high-probability goal for England in a finely balanced fixture.