Rob is senior football editor at GiveMeSport, with over 15 years experience covering sport in various capacities since graduating from the University of Gloucestershire in 2008 with a degree in journalism. A childhood obsession for all things football developed into a career writing about the beautiful game, initially producing content for clients including Luton Town Football Club and the PGMOL. His first big interviews were with Premier League referees Howard Webb and Michael Oliver in 2009. He then spent four years producing written content for a betting website, mainly focusing on football, and was there to cover various games and tournaments including the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Rob joined GiveMeSport in 2013 (initially as a sub-editor before becoming a senior writer and then senior editor in 2020) and has covered countless football matches and other sporting events, interviewed various high-profile figures including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Theo Walcott, and written well over 10,000 articles during that time. Rob has played a key role in GiveMeSport's coverage of the World Cups in 2014, 2018 and 2022, plus Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, along with many Champions League finals. While football is Rob's area of expertise, he has also covered a wide range of other sports during his time at GiveMeSport including boxing, tennis and darts, as well as the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.
Alexander Sorloth’s girlfriend has released a statement after a wave of hateful comments flooded her Instagram posts following Norway’s defeat to England at the 2026 World Cup .
Norway narrowly lost their first-ever World Cup quarter-final at the Miami Stadium on Saturday. They took the lead in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup and then spurned an opportunity to double their advantage before half-time.
Sorloth, who plies his trade with Spanish side Atletico Madrid and has been capped 77 times by Norway, found himself in a two-versus-one situation in the 44th minute after receiving the ball from Martin Odegaard.
Alongside him was Erling Haaland , arguably the best centre-forward in the world, who had already scored seven goals at this summer’s tournament.
Rather than pass the ball to Haaland, Sorloth opted to cut inside and shoot, only for his shot to be blocked. Haaland’s frustration was clear for all to see. Watch a clip of the incident below:
England equalised through Jude Bellingham moments later - albeit in controversial circumstances, with television replays appearing to show the ball hit a spidercam cable and changed trajectory following Orjan Nyland’s goal-kick. Fresh data has now emerged, which appears to confirm the goal was correctly allowed to stand .
Bellingham then sent England through to the semi-finals, where they face Argentina on Wednesday, after scoring the winner in extra-time.
Tracking the leading contenders to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in 2026.
Sorloth Explains Why He Didn't Pass to Haaland
Speaking to the press after Norway’s World Cup exit, Sorloth explained why he failed to pass to Haaland.
Per GOAL , the 30-year-old striker said: "I take a touch and look up, and then I see that [John] 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."
Sorloth's Girlfriend Shares Hateful Comments
Despite Sorloth’s explanation, the reaction on social media has been brutal. So much so that the forward’s girlfriend, Lena Selnes, has released a statement following a wave of awful messages that her and her partner have received.
Selnes posted a screenshot showing a series of hateful Instagram comments, including death threats, alongside the following statement, per The Mirror :
"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.
"Hope everyone can think a little extra before making such comments, regardless of the situation."
While this summer’s tournament was a success for Norway, with Haaland further cementing his status as a global superstar, the reaction towards Sorloth has cast a dark cloud over their World Cup adventure.
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