Alexander Sørloth explains Haaland pass decision after getting online abuse
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Sørloth says he wanted to pass to Haaland but believed the passing lane had closed.
- Norway's missed chance was followed by England's equaliser three minutes later.
- Sørloth and his girlfriend received severe online abuse after the defeat.
The Atlético Madrid striker found himself at the centre of one of the tournament's defining moments after opting not to pass to Erling Haaland during a promising counter-attack.
The decision has since sparked fierce criticism from supporters, with thousands flooding both his and his family's social media accounts with abusive messages.
Sørloth's missed opportunity proves costly
Norway appeared to be in complete control late in the first half after taking a 1-0 lead through Andreas Schjelderup.In the 44th minute, Martin Ødegaard released Sørloth with an excellent through ball, leaving the forward and Haaland two against one with England defender John Stones.
Whilst most expected an early square pass to the Manchester City striker, Sørloth continued his run before attempting to beat Stones himself.
By the time he shot, England's recovering defenders had closed the space, allowing Jordan Pickford to comfortably collect the blocked effort.
The missed opportunity quickly became a turning point.
Just three minutes later, Jude Bellingham equalised for England before the Three Lions eventually secured a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory to book their place in the World Cup semi-finals against Argentina.
This angle of Sørloth ignoring Haaland. The reaction from Haaland says it all man. He was frustrated and disappointed, just like the rest of us. pic.twitter.com/i1sf0SjAH7
— Geronimo Morgans (@GeronimoMorgans) July 12, 2026
Sørloth explains why he did not pass to Haaland
Speaking after the match, Sørloth admitted the moment would stay with him.I take a touch and look up, and then I see that Stones blocks that pass. Then I take another touch, and that is too bad. I wait for him to make a move instead of me making him make a move.The Norwegian international insisted his intention had always been to find Haaland.
The only thing I want in that situation there is to pass to Erling. Then it feels like that pass isn't there, and then I go for the shot.Reflecting on Norway's elimination, Sørloth acknowledged how painful the missed chance would remain.
It's heavy, and it's those kinds of things you wish you could have done better. I know that new opportunities will come, but it's naturally heavy when it's on the biggest stage and we are fighting to get to a World Cup semi-final.
Norway boss defends his striker
Norway manager Ståle Solbakken refused to place all the blame on his striker.He suggested the extreme heat and humidity may have contributed to the split-second decision, although he admitted fine margins ultimately decided the match.
Alex sprints at full speed for 40-50 metres, and then he looks for the exact time he should release it to Erling. He doesn't find it, and then it runs out.
Social media abuse escalates after defeat
The reaction online was immediate.Whilst the match was still being played, supporters began flooding Sørloth's latest Instagram post with criticism over his decision not to pass to Haaland.
The post eventually attracted more than 127,000 comments, many containing personal abuse.
The hostility soon extended beyond the footballer himself.
His partner, Lena Selnes, revealed that she had also received hateful messages, including comments encouraging both her and Sørloth to take their own lives.
Sharing screenshots of the abuse on Instagram Stories, Selnes wrote:
The World Cup and football bring a lot of joy, but also a lot of hate. I don't really want to give it any attention, but feel the need to after comments like this.
Hope everyone can think a little extra before making such comments, regardless of the situation.
Norway's historic campaign ends in disappointment
Despite the painful defeat, Norway enjoyed their best-ever World Cup campaign.The quarter-final run marked the nation's first appearance at the tournament since 1998 and surpassed their previous best performances, which came with round-of-16 finishes in 1938 and 1998.
Haaland ended the competition with seven goals, leaving him just one behind tournament leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé on eight.
For Sørloth, however, the tournament ended without a goal or assist in five appearances. One missed decision against England will unfortunately remain the defining image of an otherwise historic campaign for Norway.
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