Lena Selnes, the girlfriend of Norway and Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth, has spoken out after being subjected to a barrage of hateful comments on her Instagram posts following England's 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals. The abuse included death threats directed at both her and Sorloth.
Abuse Targets Sorloth and Family
Social media users went as far as wishing death upon Selnes and Sorloth after his fifth and final appearance at the 2026 World Cup in North America. The former Crystal Palace player featured in all but one of Norway's matches, with the 4-1 defeat to France being the only exception when manager Stale Solbakken rotated the squad. Sorloth rotated with Fulham's Oscar Bobb during the tournament, a switch that occurred midway through the second half of Saturday's match.
As a result, Sorloth was not on the pitch when England clinched the game in extra time. However, that did not prevent him and his family from being targeted with abuse.
Selnes Calls for Reflection
Selnes expressed her frustration in a post on her Instagram story, writing: "The World Cup and football bring a lot of joy, but also a lot of hate. I don't really want to give it any attention, but feel the need to after comments like this:" She posted a screenshot of her notifications on the app, displaying seven abusive comments directed at either her or her partner. Several urged him to take his own life, with others telling them both to end their lives.
Selnes concluded the post by saying: "Hope everyone can think a little extra before making such comments, regardless of the situation." She ended it with a handshake emoji and a red heart emoji.
Pivotal Moment in Match
Sorloth found himself at the centre of what many pundits believe was the game's pivotal moment just before the interval. At the time, his side were still leading 1-0, and he and Erling Haaland had a two-on-one advantage against John Stones, with Declan Rice and Nico O'Reilly in pursuit. However, instead of opting to pass to his better-placed teammate, Sorloth chose to continue dribbling with the ball. The England defenders managed to swarm him and ultimately block his shot.
Reflecting on the incident afterwards, Sorloth said: "I take a touch and look up, and then I see that 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. The only thing I want in that situation there is to pass to Erling. Then it feels like that pass isn't there, and then I go for the shot."
