A former England star twice told beIN Sport that Alex Morgan could ‘celebrate any way she likes’ before claiming her goal celebration was “distasteful”.
Megan Rapinoe and her tight hamstring were confined to the bench but USA teammate Alex Morgan was quickly found by the roving spotlight.
One of the stand-out takes from the Women’s World Cup semi-final between England and the USA was how much both sides disliked each other. There was respect, of course, but a huge amount of needle and antagonism throughout.
The US side came flying out of the blocks and went 1-0 up through Christen Press before Ellen White’s smart finish levelled matters. 31 minutes were on the clock when Morgan’s header made it 2-1 and, ultimately, proved the winner.
Alex Morgan restores USA's lead with another fine header #rtesoccer #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/qp69tOjWJJ
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 2, 2019
Morgan then unveiled a goal celebration that American fans loved and even stacks of England supporters had to admit was on the money.
Evoking ‘Boston Tea Party’ memories – for all you history buffs out there – Morgan mimicked sipping a cup of tea with her pinky finger raised.
That was Morgan’s sixth goal of the tournament and, with her two assists and great forward play, she looks well set for Player of the Tournament.
At half-time, over on beIN, former England star Leanne Sanderson was not too enamoured with the USA striker’s celebrations.
How you can say that line "And we love our tea in England" without laughing at yourself…pic.twitter.com/KVkBQLOCuN
— Rob O'Hanrahan (@RobOHanrahan) July 3, 2019
Others, such as English comedian Jack Whitehall, had a better reaction than Sanderson’s:
Following the game, Morgan spoke to reporters about reaching another final and her reasons for the new celebration. There was no mention of it being anything against the English team themselves. Morgan said:
“I wanted to keep it interesting. I know Megan Rapinoe has the best celebration. I had to try and step up this game.
“I feel like this team has had so much thrown at them and us. I feel like we didn’t take an easy route through this tournament and ‘That’s the Tea’.”
That’s the tea. They’ll me making t-shirts and banners of it, Stateside, if Jill Ellis’ side can retain their World Cup crown on Sunday.
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Like a good cup of tea, the event should hit the spot.
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