England vs USA: Steph Houghton hits out at Lindsey Horan after interview interrupted by ‘disrespectful’ celebrations

Houghton missed late penalty on dramatic night in Lyon but was involved in yet another flashpoint with the US team when Horan was celebrarting behind her during a radio interview

Steph Houghton decided to cut a post-match radio interview short on Tuesday night after being interrupted by “disrespectful” celebrations from the United States midfielder Lindsey Horan.

The England captain missed a late penalty in the Women’s World Cup semi-final in Lyon, which all but consigned her side to a narrow 2-1 defeat against the reigning world champions.

Speaking to Talksport after the final whistle, Houghton admitted that losing a third consecutive semi-final at a major international tournament felt like a failure to her and her team-mates.

Midway through her answer, Houghton was distracted by cheers from a nearby player. In a clip of the interview, the Talksport reporter identifies the player in question as Horan, who set up Alex Morgan’s winning goal.

“There was no need for that, was there really? Ridiculous. That’s disrespectful man,” Houghton can be heard to say. The Manchester City defender then cuts off the interview, asking: “Can I go now please?”

The interview took place in the tunnel shortly after the final whistle, with both sets of players still in close proximity. Horan is understood to have been celebrating behind Houghton with Alyssa Naeher, the goalkeeper who saved the late spot-kick.

The incident represents the latest flashpoint involving the US team and their celebrations at this tournament.

The world champions were criticised for their conduct during their record-breaking 13-0 win over Thailand, while Morgan’s ‘tea drinking’ after scoring against England also sparked debate.

Jill Ellis, the US head coach, was asked in her post-match press conference whether she felt her players’ behaviour was being externally policed and how she has prevented such “outside noise” from becoming a distraction.

“We are here for one thing: that’s it. Not lawsuits, not silly trumped up things, not external noise,” Ellis said. “We are here for one thing: to win and the trophy. Everything we talk about and everything we focus on is about that.

“The thing is, it’s always this way, because when you’re the premier team in the world, you’re always going to have noise and external stuff to deal with.

“I think we just have a really unique way of making sure everything is about the game plan and preparation.”