Norway star's girlfriend releases statement on sickening comments after England World Cup loss
Norway players have been abused on social media after England beat them in the World Cup quarter-finals, and the girlfriend of one has shared some of the comments
Alexander Sorloth's girlfriend, Lena Selnes, received hateful comments on her Instagram posts following England's win over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals. Social media users have even wished death upon her and the Atletico Madrid striker after his fifth and final appearance at this summer's tournament in North America for the national team.
The former Crystal Palace player started all but one of their matches. Their 4-1 loss to France was the only exception, when Stale Solbakken overhauled his team.
Sorloth rotated with Fulham's Oscar Bobb during the tournament. That change happened midway through the second half during Saturday's match.
Therefore, the forward was not even on the pitch when England won the game in extra time. That did not stop him and his family from being abused, though.
Selnes said in a post on her Instagram story: "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 shared a screenshot of her notifications on the app that showed seven hateful comments about either her or her partner. Multiple urged him to commit suicide, with others telling them both to kill themselves.
- Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
Selnes concluded the post by saying: "Hope everyone can think a little extra before making such comments, regardless of the situation." She punctuated it with a handshake emoji and a red heart one, too.
Sorloth was involved in what many observers believe was the turning point in the match just before half-time. While his team were still 1-0 up, he and Erling Haaland were two-on-one against John Stones, with Declan Rice and Nico O'Reilly tracking back.
However, instead of passing to his better-positioned team-mate, Sorloth continued to dribble with the ball. England defenders managed to crowd him and eventually block the shot.
Sorloth explained afterwards: "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."
He explained: "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."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.