England’s next opponents Norway rocked by ‘friction behind the scenes’ at World Cup | Football | Sport

Norway have been one of the stories of the World Cup so far. The Nordic nation has stunned the competition by reaching the quarter-finals upon its long-awaited return to the world’s biggest stage.

Their last appearance at a World Cup came in 1998, but never before have Norway made it this far in the tournament, with Erling Haaland and co. dreaming of a fairytale run on the final. To do that, they’ll have to come through England, who are riding the crest of a wave after a gutsy victory at the Azteca Stadium against Mexico.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were on target for the Three Lions as they battled hard in Mexico City to book their spot in a third consecutive World Cup quarter-final. Victory against Norway would see them through to the semi-finals for the second time in eight years, and Thomas Tuchel’s side might’ve been handed a boost ahead of the match.

That’s because reports from Dagbladet claim the Norway camp might not be as united as it seems, with suggestions one player has been left significantly unhappy by his role this summer. The player in question is Alexander Sorloth, who has been asked to play somewhat out of position to accommodate main man Haaland.

Sorloth is yet to score at this year’s World Cup and was even hooked at half-time against Brazil in the previous round. As such, his father, who also played for Norway, said: “Alexander is a winner. He loves playing football matches and building a winning culture. But he has done a great job of keeping the ball in the team.

“We have a world-class player in Erling at the top. He is a centre forward. Alexander is also built as a centre forward, but now has the role on the right wing. That he gets irritated about being taken off, he should be every day all year round. Regardless of whether it’s the World Cup, the European Championship or a regular international match.”

Sorloth had echoed those frustrations after the Brazil contest, saying: “I talked to Stale afterwards. We’re good friends now. But I didn’t understand much of it when it happened.”

Meanwhile, Stale Solbakken defended his decision, saying: “None of them played a bad game. Quite the opposite. They did a wonderful job defensively. They were also involved offensively. But the match dictated that we should have other types.”