Declan Rice explains non-celebration vs Republic of Ireland and why he rejected captain's armband
Declan Rice has revealed why he refused to celebrate after scoring England's opening goal in their 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland.
The Arsenal midfielder gave England the lead on 11 minutes at the Aviva Stadium, firing a shot into the top right corner from 12 yards out.
But the 25-year-old refused to celebrate after the goal, instead raising two hands up to the Irish spectators.
Rice played for Ireland on three occasions before switching his international allegiance to England in 2018.
On his return to the Aviva Stadium, Declan Rice fires @England ahead with a thumping strike 💥
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 7, 2024
Watch #IREvENG on @ITV pic.twitter.com/yoBbQiDITC
But some fans criticised his decision not to celebrate, especially as ex-Ireland U21 star Jack Grealish did the opposite when he scored England's second goal.
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However, Rice has cleared up his decision, and explained why he also refused to be England captain for the match's conclusion after Harry Kane's 84th-minute substitution.
He told beIN Sports: "It was an amazing feeling. But I was never going to celebrate.
"I have Irish family. My nan and grandad are not here anymore, and I think it would have been disrespectful to them if I celebrated. My dad was here as well.
"I was never going to celebrate. My nan and grandad are not here anymore and I think it would have been disrespectful to them."
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) September 7, 2024
Declan Rice tells @zmansour75 why he didn't celebrate his goal against the Republic of Ireland.#beINNATIONSLEAGUE #AFC pic.twitter.com/3JJ1cVLHbM
"It was a nice feeling to score, but I just wanted to focus on getting back in the game and trying to score more goals. So yeah, it was positive."
Grealish, meanwhile, said he had 'nothing bad whatsoever' to say about Ireland in his post-match interview.
He told ITV Sport: "I said it before the game - me and Dec have nothing bad to say... we both enjoyed our time playing here. I certainly did.
"I have a lot of Irish in my family, so there's no bad blood whatsoever from my side.
"Over the summer [not being selected for Euro 2024], it was probably one of the worst summers of my life, because you can't not see everything that's happening in front of you.
"It was difficult, but it's given more resolve."
Topics: Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Football, England, Arsenal, Republic of Ireland
Ryan Smart