Erling Haaland’s desperate on-field plea to Alexander Sorloth to pass him the ball against England mirrors an iconic LeBron James moment from the 2018 NBA Finals.
Norway fell to a 2-1 A.E.T. loss to England in the quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite scoring the first goal of the contest.
Norway could’ve taken a 2-0 lead before the half if Sorloth had made a crucial pass to a wide-open Haaland in the box, but that missed opportunity evoked feelings from a different sport.
Erling Haaland’s reaction to Sorloth’s miss was identical to LeBron James in the 2018 NBA Finals
After Sorloth missed the wide-open pass and tried to take on the English defenders with his dribbles, Haaland was pointing to his feet exactly how LeBron James pointed to the basket after J.R. Smith forgot the score during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
Sorloth’s missed pass wasn’t as egregious as an NBA player forgetting the score in a Finals game, but the stakes of that mistake were similar.
All that James would’ve accomplished that season would be losing the Finals 4-1 instead of 4-0.
If Sorloth passed and Haaland scored to put Norway up 2-0, the Nordic nation might have been a win away from the Final.
Erling Haaland’s World Cup Golden Boot campaign also crashes down
If Sorloth made that pass and Haaland scored a second goal, the chances they don’t concede to end the first half are much higher. Instead of being up 2-0, they were tied 1-1 at the half in an exhausting affair.
Haaland ends the tournament with seven goals, one behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who are both guaranteed to play at least two more games in this edition.
If Sorloth makes the pass, Haaland scores, and Norway holds on to win, Haaland would be a legitimate Golden Boot threat.
He’d end the quarters tied with Mbappe and Messi for eight goals, and be guaranteed two more games to keep pace with them for the award.
Alas, he won’t get the chance for individual glory, but the main frustration has to be missing out on team glory and leading Norway to a historic top-three World Cup finish.
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