In Conversation With Lasse Sorensen – halfway line goal, Lincoln Cathedral and hippos

Lincoln City’s Danish star Lasse Sorensen has become the man of the hour since converting into a halfway line-scoring goal machine wing-back, and the Imps’ community champion is hoping this hot streak can continue.

Lasse Sorensen, 23, joined Lincoln City in the summer of 2021, making 70 appearances for the League One side so far – but an unexpected position change has seen the Dane hit the headlines in recent months.

Following injury shortages in defence against MK Dons in February, the central midfield player was brought on to fill in at right wing back, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Sorensen’s energy up and down the touchline has set the tempo for recent Lincoln City performances, playing the full 90 minutes in his last nine appearances for the club.

His first goal of the season came in mid-April, when he opened the scoring in the Imps’ 3-2 home victory over Port Vale, and the following week Lasse went viral for a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

In the 71st minute of Lincoln’s game away at Wycombe Wanderers, a poor goalkeeper clearance fell to Lasse Sorensen around 60 yards from goal – and the rest is now history.

The goal has gone viral online, amassing hundreds of thousands of views and it is surely a dead cert for goal of the season.

Reporter Ellis Karran caught up with Lasse at Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium to discuss his football career, scoring from his own half like David Beckham, his love for Danish rye bread, and why he thinks a hippo would reign supreme as the winner of an animal kingdom battle.

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EK: Thank you very much for doing this with us, Lasse. I’m going to have to start with the goal! When you scored it, did you expect it to go this viral and what was your thought process?

LS: To be fair it all just happened so quickly. I was quite lucky with the first touch and so I just had to go for it, but I didn’t really think too much about it – I just saw the keeper off his line and decided to go for it. When you’re in the moment you don’t really think much about it, but obviously afterwards people were telling me how unbelievable it was. It’s a good goal that you don’t see that often.

EK: Another thing recently recognised by Lincoln City fans is your evolution into a marauding wing-back now. What prompted that position change and how have you found it?

LS: It just sort of happened all of a sudden, really. We were playing MK Dons at home and we were a bit short in the back line, I think TJ (Eyoma) went off and the manager turned to me and said you’re going on at right wing-back. Obviously you kind of just do what you are told to do but I do enjoy it – in midfield it’s a bit of a different game but out there, it doesn’t really change all that much in terms of what I try to do – you just do it 20 yards further to the right.

EK: How about the season as a whole? There was a bit of a sticky patch around Christmas time, but how do you reflect on the way this young squad and young manager bounced back to finish the season so strongly?

LS: I think we’ve had a good season but obviously with playing 60 games this season, there are so many games that there will be parts of the season where you might not do as well, but it happens for every single team. I think we’ve all learned a lot and come quite far as a group, it’s been quite an enjoyable season.

EK: Speaking about the togetherness of the squad, I think you can see that on the pitch as well. What’s the banter like in the dressing room?

LS: To be fair we’ve actually got quite a funny squad. We’re all quite young so we all just have fun with each other really. In terms of who has the best banter I think it depends. We’ve got lads with the silly banter like Charles Vernam, Ben House and Danny Mandriou – then Adam Jackson who has properly dry humour!

EK: We’ll go on to fashion now, who dresses the best and who dresses the worst in the Lincoln City squad?

LS: So people keep saying I’m the worst dressed but I don’t agree with. I have a Danish style that they don’t understand over here. To be honest, they all just wear the same and should probably have a look at themselves, and go for it a bit more instead of playing it safe. Maybe try the Scandinavian style, that would be my advice to every single one of them.

EK: How have you found the city of Lincoln since moving here? Where are some of your favourite places to go and explore?

LS: I genuinely love Lincoln, I think the city is amazing. I like to go to the cathedral area, I like the restaurants there a lot – I go to the Duke William (Bailgate) quite a lot and I enjoy going to 200 Degrees for a coffee.

EK: Is it easy to keep a low profile in the city? Do you get recognised a lot?

LS: Well it is quite hard for me because I have bright blonde hair! But everyone is always very polite when I meet them, I haven’t had a bad experience with anyone in town, so if anything I enjoy people approaching me to talk to me.

EK: That relationship you have with the fans ties in quite nicely with your recent Imps Community Champion award. Is that something you wear proudly?

LS: I always say it is important for a club like Lincoln to be out there in the community, because we need the fans. I enjoy doing the community thing and see myself as having a really good relationship with Lincoln fans.

EK: On to the fun stuff now – what was your first car?

LS: My first car was a Mercedes A-Class when I was 18.

EK: Did you pass your driving test first time?

LS: Actually no! I passed the theory first time but failed the first driving test and passed the second.

EK: Would you rather be a toy from Toy Story or a monster from Monsters Inc?

LS: So first of all I don’t know what Monsters Inc is! So I guess I will have to go with a toy from Toy Story.

EK: If every animal in the animal kingdom had a fight, who would win?

LS: It would probably be a bird, no? Just flying around staying out of trouble. Then again, what about a hippopotamus?

EK: Can I give you a statistic on a hippo? It can reach top speeds of 30mph!

LS: Wow! Yeah they can swim quick, they’re massive as well. I’m going for hippo actually.

EK: Ben House told me last year that you would be one of his three choices for a Lincoln City night out – who would yours be?

LS: Ben probably picked me because I don’t drink and neither does he! I’d pick Ben too because we could both leave quickly if we’ve had enough. I’d then go for Adam Jackson, because a few of the times I have been out with the team he actually speaks and has conversations while the other ones are dancing around. I need someone to have a proper laugh with as well so I’d pick Dylan Duffy.

EK: What was your initiation song when you joined the club?

LS: Mine was Stand By Me. I think it is just an easy song to sing with simple lyrics that someone Danish like me could easily sing in English!

EK: Jordan Wright told me that the dressing room DJ role changes a lot, who has been on it this season?

LS: Luckily the kitman has been booted off the DJ duty! For a while it has been Max Sanders, Teddy Bishop did it for a bit as well. Max does a good job, there’s a nice mix on there.

EK: Time for my favourite question now – if the Lincoln City squad had a WWE-style over the top rope Royal Rumble, who would come out on top?

LS: I will definitely be first out! I think Joe Walsh would probably win, maybe Ben House but he would need to get angry first. If he isn’t angry then he would be out first with me.

EK: How about Mark Kennedy (head coach), does he still join in with training sessions? Has he still got a bit?

LS: Sometimes he will join in with the rondo, but it seems like every time he gets put in the middle he just leaves! He’s still decent though, he’ll put crosses in for finishing drills and it’ll be perfect – he will then just turn to us and say “just like that”.

EK: I hate asking this question usually, but do you have a footballing hero that you looked up to at all?

LS: I’ve always been a massive Lionel Messi fan, I watched all his clips growing up and would go out to the pitch and try to recreate them. It’s a bit boring but I would say the likes of him and Iniesta, those Barcelona players were who I watched when I was younger. Watching that team is where it all started for me, it’s how I fell in love with the game.

EK: Safe to say you are on the Messi side of the Messi or Ronaldo argument then?

LS: Oh yeah! Don’t get me wrong Ronaldo is a decent player – well, decent isn’t the right word – he’s got a few more goals than I have! But yeah I can appreciate the hard work Ronaldo has put in to be one of the best players ever, but I don’t think you can argue with Messi being the most gifted player. If you watch the game and look at him as a player, it is hard to deny that he’s the most talented we’ve seen.

EK: In the age of social media we see everyone having an opinion on the game, and pundits are very vocal about players. Do you pay attention to that sort of thing?

LS: Not really, but I won’t pretend that I avoid it all – we live in a world now where you can’t escape it. When you are young and first get into it, you get more affected by what people have to say, but the older you get, the more you realise that it’s just noise at the end of the day, isn’t it? That’s why football is probably the best sport in the world because so many people watch and so many people have an opinion, but when you are in it, it is you they have an opinion on.

EK: Right then, last question – who scored the best halfway line goal? Xabi Alonso, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, or Lasse Sorensen?

LS: Haha! Let’s be honest their goals came in a slightly different occasion to mine! But listen, to even be mentioned alongside those great players is amazing. I will take that all day long.

EK: Yours was further out Lasse, the stats don’t lie!

LS: Yeah see, I’ll tell Beckham to kick it a bit harder next time!

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