Martin Ødegaard Reveals Erling Haaland's Reaction As Alexander Sørloth Faces Online Abuse
Over the weekend, Norway was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing 2-1 to England after extra time in the quarterfinals.
Norway was one of the most popular teams among neutral fans at the 2026 World Cup. The performance was not the best for the Norwegians, but they were close to sending the game to a penalty shootout until conceding in extra time.
Following the match, there was lots of criticism towards Norway striker Alexander Sørloth, who was involved in a counter-attack that could have doubled Norway's lead against England.
Sørloth dribbled the ball towards goal and had the in-form Erling Haaland to his left, with only John Stones in the way. Sørloth decided not to pass the ball to Haaland, and the play did not lead to a goal.
This angle of Sørloth ignoring Haaland. The reaction from Haaland says it all man. He was frustrated and disappointed, just like the rest of us. pic.twitter.com/i1sf0SjAH7
— Geronimo Morgans (@GeronimoMorgans) July 12, 2026
This led to much online abuse towards Sørloth after Norway's exit from the 2026 World Cup. After the game, Sørloth tried to explain that he intended to play the pass to Haaland, but he didn't believe it would work.
"The only thing I wanted to do in that situation was to pass to Erling," Sørloth said. "But it felt like the pass wasn't there, so I went to shoot."
This brought more outrage from fans online, and Sørloth's partner, Lena Selnes, shared screenshots of hateful comments towards the player. Selnes wrote, "World Cup and football bring a lot of joy, but also a lot of hate. I'd rather not pay attention to it, but in the face of comments like these, I have no choice."
LA NOVIA DE SØRLOTH DENUNCIA UNA OLEADA DE AMENAZAS TRAS EL MUNDIAL
— Post United (@postunited) July 13, 2026
Lena Selnes ha mostrado los graves mensajes que ha recibido después del fallo del delantero noruego ante Inglaterra
"Dile a tu marido que se vaya de Noruega", "Voy a matarlo", "Espero que ardáis… pic.twitter.com/P6WqD0hVLj
Norway captain Martin Ødegaard went public with his thoughts on the abuse that Sørloth is currently experiencing. Ødegaard defended Sørloth from the hateful comments and also revealed what Erling Haaland's reaction was towards Sørloth after Norway's exit.
Martin Ødegaard on Alexander Sørloth and Erling Haaland
Despite Norway being eliminated from the competition, Martin Ødegaard stood up for Sørloth, who is heavily criticized for not passing the ball to Haaland in the first half, when Norway was 1-0 up.
Ødegaard defended Sørloth post-match and said, "I won't allow anyone to blame Alex. People only remember the final chance, but I remember everything he did for this team throughout the tournament. One decision doesn't define a player."
Many fans assumed that Haaland was very angry with Sørloth following the match, as Norway is out of the World Cup, but Ødegaard revealed that the complete opposite happened in the dressing room.
Ødegaard said, "I've seen Erling [Haaland] comfort Alex, and I've seen Alex apologize to the boys. That's football, it hurts, but that's also why we're a family."
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