India, July 12 -- Jude Bellingham found himself at the centre of controversy on a day when he put on a match-defining performance that propelled England into the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals. The midfielder scored a brace to help his team edge Norway in a competitive knockout battle at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. A few minutes after Andreas Schjelderup broke the deadlock for the Vikings, Bellingham equalised with a brilliant effort inside the box, pulling England back into the contest.

While it appeared to be a clean strike, questions were asked after footage of the build-up circulated on social media. Before Bellingham had scored the goal, the ball seemingly hit the spider camera. Many fans, and even Norway coach Stale Solbakken,...