Erling Haaland and Norway’s historic FIFA World Cup run came to a disappointing end against England, but for one player, the disappointment followed after the final whistle. Alexander Sorloth has become the target of fan backlash online following a split-second decision to shoot instead of pass during the game, potentially costing Norway a semifinal appearance.
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Sorloth posted a celebratory post on his Instagram page, commemorating the team’s quarterfinal appearance, and the comments were filled with angry fans. They harshly criticized him for not passing to Haaland for a potential goal. For these fans, that missed opportunity has overshadowed much of whatever else occurred during the controversial exit for Norway.
The moment arrived with Norway leading 1-0 in the first half. After breaking off on a dangerous counterattack, Sorloth carried the ball with Haaland to his left into England’s penalty area. With only the goalkeeper between them and the goal, the striker chose to continue to attack himself instead of sliding the ball over to his teammate, causing the opportunity to disappear.
England survived the scare before mounting a comeback to take a 2-1 win after extra time, leaving many convinced Sorloth was to blame.
Sorloth’s decision to continue the attack didn’t make sense in the moment either. Haaland has been one of the leading goal-scorers in the tournament, logging seven, but went scoreless against England. Had Sorloth passed the ball to him, the Manchester City striker would have likely scored. He was seen frustrated in the immediate aftermath of the possession after Sorloth failed to score.
Fans turn against Alexander Sorloth after costly decision
Social media did not take kindly to Sorloth making a jubilant celebration post for making the quarterfinals, and the comments were immediately filled with comments harshly criticizing his decision-making.
“Tried to be main character and failed his country 😅,” one fan wrote, seeing his decision to attempt a score as arrogance.
Another comment humorously read, “You can decide to pass the ball or shoot the goal. And you choose ‘OR.'”
That wasn’t the only post making jokes at his expense, with one comment sarcastically stating:
“Congrats you’ve been the super hero for England you should just become a England player because of how much love you’ll get.”
Many directly referenced his decision to not pass to Haaland, including one fan, who wrote, “Next time, don’t be greedy and pass the ball to Haaland 🙄🙄🙄.”
However, perhaps the harshest criticism was about the caliber of player he is: good, but not a star.
One such comment read, “you’re not messi or ronaldo just pass the ball 😡.”
Whether fair or not, his decision to attempt a score by waving off Erling Haaland has become one of the flashpoints of Norway’s World Cup exit.
