What did Lionesses make of Alex Morgan’s infamous tea-drinking celebration for USWNT? Lucy Bronze reveals reaction inside England squad to behaviour during 2019 World Cup semi-final

The Lionesses faced the star-studded USWNT side aware that the odds were stacked against them in a bid to reach a historic final. Morgan helped the United States to dash England’s dreams that day, as she found the target in a thrilling game that finished 2-1.

Morgan, who went on to spend time in England with WSL side Tottenham in 2020, made headlines when poking fun at her English rivals by pretending to sip from a cup of tea after hitting the net. Her antics were not well received by everybody, but Bronze insists those on the field paid no attention.

Bronze, who won the FIFA Best Women’s Player award in 2020, has told FourFourTwo of how England responded to Morgan trying to wind them up: “I don’t think a single England player saw the celebration. I don’t ever watch the other team celebrate - when you are in a World Cup semi-final and go a goal down, you need to regroup. The defeat was heartbreaking. It was only afterwards we saw the celebration. For lack of better words, it left a bit of a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths.”

England had Mille Bright sent off against the USWNT, while Steph Houghton missed a late penalty that would have sent the game to extra-time. The Lionesses, with current Barcelona star Bronze still part of the set-up, did go on to reach the World Cup final in 2023, but suffered heartache again there as they went down 1-0 against Spain. Morgan, meanwhile, is still going strong at 34 years of age and is up to 215 caps and 121 goals for her country.