Though Alex Morgan’s tea-sipping celebration was a hit throughout the United States, it did not go over so well in England.
Morgan pretended to sip tea after scoring to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead on England in their semifinal match at the Women’s World Cup in France on Tuesday.
Lianne Sanderson, an England women’s national team player and current player for Juventus, is serving as an analyst for Bein Sports. She said on Bein that she found the celebration to be “distasteful” and “disrespectful.”
@liannesanderson calls Alex Morgan's tea sipping celebration "distasteful."
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“I expected Alex to grab a goal, but I’m not that happy with that celebration,” Sanderson said in her capacity as an analyst. “You can celebrate however you want, but that for me is a bit distasteful, and I don’t think she needs to do that. She can celebrate however she wants, and I’m a big believer in the Americans and how they celebrate. But for me, this is a little bit disrespectful.”
She was asked if Morgan should be given the benefit of the doubt due to it being her birthday, but Sanderson said it seemed to be a clear shot at England’s love of tea.
“For me, I think it’s based upon playing against England and we love our tea in England. I’m not a tea drinker, but that’s what we’re connected with, so I think it’s a little bit distasteful.”
This is not the first time Morgan has hit a celebration that led to some criticism in the World Cup. When the U.S. blew out Thailand 13-0 in their first game, some felt the celebrations after each goal were excessive.
