diff --git a/lld/ELF/ScriptParser.cpp b/lld/ELF/ScriptParser.cpp
--- a/lld/ELF/ScriptParser.cpp
+++ b/lld/ELF/ScriptParser.cpp
@@ -646,19 +646,25 @@
   std::vector<SectionPattern> ret;
   while (!errorCount() && peek() != ")") {
     StringMatcher excludeFilePat;
+    bool excludeFile = false;
     if (consume("EXCLUDE_FILE")) {
       expect("(");
       excludeFilePat = readFilePatterns();
+      excludeFile = true;
     }
 
     StringMatcher SectionMatcher;
-    while (!errorCount() && peek() != ")" && peek() != "EXCLUDE_FILE")
+    // peek2() is used to detect EXCLUDE_FILE( or SORT( (e.g. *(.foo
+    // SORT(.bar))) where we should break the loop.
+    while (!errorCount() && peek() != ")" && peek2() != "(")
       SectionMatcher.addPattern(unquote(next()));
 
     if (!SectionMatcher.empty())
       ret.push_back({std::move(excludeFilePat), std::move(SectionMatcher)});
-    else
+    else if (excludeFile)
       setError("section pattern is expected");
+    else
+      break;
   }
   return ret;
 }
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sort2.s b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sort2.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sort2.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sort2.s
@@ -1,39 +1,36 @@
 # REQUIRES: x86
 # RUN: llvm-mc -filetype=obj -triple=x86_64-unknown-linux %s -o %tfile1.o
 
-# RUN: echo "SECTIONS { .abc : { *(SORT(.foo.*) .bar.*) } }" > %t1.script
+# RUN: echo "SECTIONS { .abc : { *(SORT(.foo.*) .a* .a* SORT(.bar.*) .b*) } }" > %t1.script
 # RUN: ld.lld -o %t1 --script %t1.script %tfile1.o
-# RUN: llvm-objdump -s %t1 | FileCheck %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -x .abc %t1 | FileCheck %s
 
-# CHECK:  Contents of section .abc:
-# CHECK:   01000000 00000000 02000000 00000000
-# CHECK:   03000000 00000000 04000000 00000000
-# CHECK:   06000000 00000000 05000000 00000000
+## FIXME Some input sections are duplicated in .abc and their second occurrences are zeros.
+# CHECK:      Hex dump of section '.abc'
+# CHECK-NEXT: 0x00000000 01020306 05040000 00070908 0b0c0a
 
 # RUN: echo "SECTIONS { \
-# RUN:   .abc : { *(SORT(.foo.* EXCLUDE_FILE (*file1.o) .bar.*) .bar.*) } \
+# RUN:   .abc : { *(SORT(.foo.* EXCLUDE_FILE (*file1.o) .bar.*) .a* SORT(.bar.*) .b*) } \
 # RUN:  }" > %t2.script
 # RUN: ld.lld -o %t2 --script %t2.script %tfile1.o
-# RUN: llvm-objdump -s %t2 | FileCheck %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -x .abc %t2 | FileCheck %s
 
 .text
 .globl _start
 _start:
 
-.section .foo.2,"a"
- .quad 2
+.section .foo.2,"a"; .byte 2
+.section .foo.3,"a"; .byte 3
+.section .foo.1,"a"; .byte 1
 
-.section .foo.3,"a"
- .quad 3
+.section .a6,"a"; .byte 6
+.section .a5,"a"; .byte 5
+.section .a4,"a"; .byte 4
 
-.section .foo.1,"a"
- .quad 1
+.section .bar.7,"a"; .byte 7
+.section .bar.9,"a"; .byte 9
+.section .bar.8,"a"; .byte 8
 
-.section .bar.4,"a"
- .quad 4
-
-.section .bar.6,"a"
- .quad 6
-
-.section .bar.5,"a"
- .quad 5
+.section .b11,"a"; .byte 11
+.section .b12,"a"; .byte 12
+.section .b10,"a"; .byte 10