It could have been Erling Haaland’s Norway taking on Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semifinals in Atlanta, but for Alexander Sorloth’s split-second decision. Just as expected, the Norwegians don’t seem to have a plan to forget or forgive what Sorloth did in the quarterfinals. And the joy of Norway’s most historic FIFA World Cup campaign to date is not enough for fans to look past Sorloth’s ‘mistake.’
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Homecoming was great for the Norwegians. Hundreds of fans lined the streets to welcome their squad back after their run to the quarterfinals, but for Alexander Sorloth, it came with a familiar sting.
The striker shared pictures from the massive crowd on Instagram, with a caption reading, “Coming home to this. Thank you Norway❤️❤️❤️.” While the pictures highlighted the love and support the team got from their countrymen, the comments section painted a completely different story.
His post was the target of intense fan backlash, highlighting that fans have likely not moved on from his split-second decision against England.
In the 36th minute of the quarterfinal in Miami, with Norway holding a 1-0 lead over England, Sorloth and Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland broke away on a counter-attack. Sorloth led the ball into the penalty area, and Haaland was available with a simple pass, but for John Stones blocking the lane.
He waited a fraction of a second too long, and English players crowded the Norwegian forwards out. Sorloth took the shot himself; the ball bounced off the defender and landed safely in the English GK’s hands.
A visibly dejected Haaland hung his head, swung his hands in disappointment, and walked back from the scene. England eventually went on to score two goals of their own via Haaland’s best mate from Dortmund, Jude Bellingham, on the way to a win.
During a press conference, Sorloth himself weighed in on both the wave of backlash online and his thought process during the sequence.
“It is tragic,” Sorloth said of the hostile comments. “That is the world we live in. I tell the boys to stay away from social media, especially on days like this. There is nothing more to say about it other than it is completely devoid of sense on every possible level.”
He also added that the “only thing” he wanted to do was to pass to Haaland, but thought that the pass wasn’t available to him, leading him to shoot instead.
Fans continue blaming Alexander Sorloth for the costly World Cup moment
Fans once again flooded Sorloth’s Instagram comments with messages referencing his decision not to pass to Haaland.
Many commenters revisited the missed opportunity, with one fan writing, “YOU SHOULD WORK ON YOUR PASSING SKILLS 🤦🏻♂️.”
Another user mocked the striker’s celebratory post, with their comment reading, “Your smiling as if you scored a screamer 😂😂.”
Others were even harsher. One particularly sarcastic user commented, “Congratulations bro you’re the reason Norway made it back home ❤️👏.”
Another comment simply pointed out his ineffectiveness, reading, “0 goal 0 assist , what this..?0 goal 0 assist , what this..?’ Another joked at his expense, reading, “Sorloth Keep your head up. You’re the best player that England has ever had. 👏”
Regardless of Sorloth’s explanation of the situation, the criticism has shown little signs of slowing, and might be something that he faces for a long time going forward.
