Norway Star Refuses To Pass Ball To Erling Haaland In 'Biggest Blunder' Of FIFA World Cup 2026
With Norway leading 1-0, forward Alexander Sorloth refused to pass the ball to Erling Haaland. The decision didn't just cost the team its second goal of the game but also a potential spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal.
- Norway missed a key chance when Alexander Sorloth refused to pass to Erling Haaland in a 2v1 situation
- Sorloth's attempt to score ended with a weak shot easily saved by England's goalkeeper Pickford
- Haaland was visibly frustrated by Sorloth's decision at a moment when Norway could've gone 2-0 up
The FIFA World Cup 2026 witnessed what was arguably its biggest blunder of the tournament during the quarter-final clash between England and Norway on Saturday, after Alexander Sorloth refused to pass the ball to the team's top scorer, Erling Haaland. Right on the cusp of the half-time whistle, Norway found themselves in a brilliant counter-attacking opportunity. Already leading 1-0, they had a golden 2v1 situation, with John Stones as the only England defender positioned between the Norwegian attackers and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Instead of squaring the ball to Haaland for an easy finish, Sorloth opted to go for glory himself. The selfish decision squandered the opportunity, and the duo was quickly surrounded and closed down by five recovering England players.
Sorloth attempted to dribble past a couple of defenders to unleash a shot, but his weak effort failed to even reach Pickford in the England goal. Haaland, visibly disappointed by his teammate's decision, did not hesitate to express his frustration on the pitch. Here's the video of what many people are calling 'biggest blunder of the World Cup' on social media:
watch this angle.
— foland (fan) (@propsMCFC) July 12, 2026
Sorloth genuinely let the whole country down pic.twitter.com/e5pUJeiTQZ
Had Sorloth passed the ball to Haaland-the team's most in-form player heading into this crucial England clash-Norway could have doubled their lead, making a potential English comeback significantly more difficult. In fact, it was just minutes after the incident that England scored their equaliser through Jude Bellingham.
The nature of the game prompted even England head coach Thomas Tuchel to admit that his team were 'lucky' to get the win.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," Tuchel said in an on-field interview moments after his team secured the World Cup semi-final berth. "The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance. The commitment is there, but it made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, lots of safety, not fast enough, not enough. We were lucky today."
READ | Jude Bellingham Matches Maradona, Carries England To FIFA WC 2026 Semis
England haven't reached the World Cup final in 60 years and to make that dream a reality, Tuchel wants his team to get better.
"We need to get better," Tuchel said. "Now it's celebration, and now it's taking it all in. We have three days," he concluded.
England
Norway