Alexander Sorloth Faces Backlash After Choosing Shot Over Passing to Haaland

Norwegian national football team striker Alexander Sorloth is facing intense criticism following Norway's elimination from the World Cup semifinals.

Norway lost 1-2 to England in the FIFA North American World Cup quarterfinals held at Miami Stadium on July 12.

After taking a 1-0 lead, Norway failed to reach the semifinals after conceding two goals to Jude Bellingham late in the first half and in the first half of extra time.

The controversial moment occurred late in the first half.

In the 44th minute, with Norway leading 1-0, Sorloth had a 2-on-1 opportunity against a single England defender alongside Norway's star striker Erling Haaland.

However, he chose to shoot himself instead of passing to Haaland, who was on his left.

The shot was caught by the England goalkeeper, and the scoring chance was wasted.

As Norway ultimately suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat after a hard-fought match, missing out on a spot in the semifinals, experts poured criticism on Sorloth's decision.

BBC pundit Alan Shearer pointed out, "Sorloth should have accelerated and passed to Haaland much earlier, but he didn't, and the opportunity disappeared."

After the match, Sorloth explained the situation.

Speaking to a Norwegian media outlet after the game, he explained, "The only thing I wanted in that situation was to pass to Haaland," adding, "I felt there was no passing lane, so I chose to shoot."

Despite this explanation, fans did not stop their barrage of criticism toward Sorloth.

Sorloth's social media posts received over 100,000 comments, a significant portion of which were critical.

Some comments contained aggressive content, such as "Never play football again," "You have become the most hated person in Norway," and "Are you jealous of Haaland?"

Even his partner was subjected to malicious comments.

It was reported that some of the comments even included death threats directed at the couple.

Sorloth's girlfriend, GFRIEND, pleaded, "Regardless of the situation, I hope everyone thinks a little more carefully before writing such comments."

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.