Alexander Sorloth Explains Why He Chose Not to Pass to Erling Haaland Against England

• Alexander Sorloth has explained the reason he refused to pass to Erling Haaland during Norway's 2-1 defeat to England in the quarter-final
• Norway were leading 1-0 when Sorloth chose to go for goal, moments before Jude Bellingham equalised to swing the match in England's favour
• The incident sparked heavy criticism, with many believing a pass to Haaland would have put Norway in a commanding position before their eventual elimination

Alexander Sorloth has explained the controversial moment that sparked widespread criticism during Norway's World Cup quarter-final defeat to England, revealing why he opted to shoot instead of passing to Erling Haaland.

Norway were leading 1-0 when Sorloth found himself in a dangerous attacking position, with Haaland making a run that many fans and pundits believed should have been picked out.

Rather than slipping the ball through to his strike partner, Sorloth took a touch, assessed his options and decided to go for goal himself.

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Why Jude Bellingham England equaliser vs Norway should have been disallowed

Moments later, England midfielder Jude Bellingham equalised, shifting the momentum of the contest before the Three Lions completed the comeback to knock Norway out of the World Cup.

Why Sorloth refused to pass to Haaland

Speaking after Norway's elimination via GOAL, the 30-year-old insisted he wanted to find Haaland but felt the passing lane had been blocked at the crucial moment.

"I take a touch and look up, and then I see that [John] 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," Sorloth admitted.

"The only thing I want in that situation is to pass to Erling. Then it feels like that pass isn't there, and then I go for the shot."

The decision has continued to divide opinion, with many supporters and pundits arguing that a pass to Haaland, regarded as one of football's deadliest finishers, would have given Norway an excellent opportunity to extend their lead and potentially secure a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

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Here's why England were denied a penalty against Norway at the 2026 World Cup

Bellingham dumps Norway out of World Cup

The match had already produced its fair share of drama before the penalty incident.

Norway struck first in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup squeezed home from a tight angle.

England hit back just before the interval, with Jude Bellingham finishing confidently after being picked out by Anthony Gordon.

The Scandinavians then thought they had regained the lead through Torbjørn Heggem, only for VAR to disallow the goal after identifying a push by Erling Haaland on Elliot Anderson before the corner was taken.

Watch Heggem's disallowed goal, as shared on X:

With the tie locked at 1-1 deep into extra time, Bellingham once again stepped up, as noted by The Telegraph.

The Real Madrid midfielder reacted quickest to Morgan Rogers' effort in the 113th minute, scoring the decisive goal to seal England's place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Read also

Here's why VAR ruled out Norway's goal against England

According to Opta, the Three Lions will await the winner of the Argentina vs Switzerland fixture for a place in the final.

Why England's penalty vs Norway was denied

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that referee Clément Turpin overturned England's extra-time penalty against Norway after a VAR review.

The official ruled that Djed Spence was responsible for the contact with the defender, meaning no foul had occurred.

Source: YEN.com.gh