Alexander Sorloth has broken his silence on the crucial moment when he opted not to pass to a waiting Erling Haaland during Norway’s heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat to England. The striker admitted that the decision, which came as Norway were poised to take a two-goal lead, turned out to be a defining moment in the match.

A missed chance to go 2-0 up

Norway were leading 1-0 against England in the quarter-final when captain Martin Odegaard delivered a perfectly timed through ball to Sorloth in the 44th minute. For a brief moment, Sorloth and Haaland found themselves with a two-on-one advantage against John Stones, while Declan Rice and Nico O’Reilly scrambled to recover. Most onlookers expected a simple square pass to Haaland for an easy tap-in, but Sorloth slowed down and attempted to take on Stones by himself.

His effort was blocked, and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford collected the ball safely. That missed opportunity proved costly as Jude Bellingham netted an equaliser for England just three minutes later. BBC pundit and former England striker Alan Shearer criticised Sorloth’s decision, saying: “England were fortunate again. Sorloth should have played Haaland through much earlier. He delayed far too long and then drove right into traffic.”

Sorloth discusses his thought process

Speaking to reporters after England’s 2-1 extra-time victory, Sorloth candidly reflected on the incident. “I take a touch and look up, and I see that Stones blocks that pass. Then I take another touch, and that’s too bad. I wait for him to move instead of making him move,” the Atletico Madrid forward explained. He maintained that his first instinct was to pass to Haaland, but he believed the window for that pass had closed in the split second that followed.

Sorloth added: “The only thing I want in that situation is to pass to Erling. But it felt like the pass wasn’t on, so I went for the shot.”

Solbakken laments fine margins

The defeat left the Norwegian camp reflecting on what could have been. “It’s tough, and these are the moments you wish you had handled better,” Sorloth told VG. “I know new chances will come, but it’s hard when it happens on the biggest stage, and we were fighting for a World Cup semi-final spot.” Norway’s head coach Stale Solbakken was asked if the extreme heat and humidity inside the stadium might have contributed to the lapse in decision-making.

“It might have, if you analyse it closely,” Solbakken said. “Alex sprinted 40-50 metres at full speed and then had to decide when to release it to Erling. He didn’t find that perfect moment, and it slipped away.” However, the manager also emphasised how narrow the margins are at this level. “It was a huge chance to make it 2-0, and at this level, margins decide everything. I think it’s a bit harsh to blame the heat here.”

A historic campaign despite disappointment

Despite the painful exit to England — who now progress to face Argentina in the semi-finals — Norway still celebrated their most successful World Cup run in history by reaching the quarter-finals. This achievement is especially noteworthy given it was their first World Cup appearance since 1998. Previously, Norway’s best finishes came when they reached the round of 16 in 1938 and again in 1998.

On an individual note, Erling Haaland finished his World Cup campaign with an impressive seven goals, placing him just behind top scorers Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, both on eight. In contrast, Sorloth ended the tournament without a single goal or assist, despite featuring in five matches.