Declan Rice "was never going to celebrate" after scoring against the Republic of Ireland in England's 2-0 Nations League victory. (More Football News)
The midfielder was 𝓡met by a hostile crowd in Dublin having previo🍸usly represented Ireland before changing allegiance to England.
But Rice had the last laugh, lashing home in the 11th minute before teeing up Jack Grealish, who previously repres⛄ented Ireland at youth level, to seal a comfortable win for Lee Carsley's side.
It marked his fourthജ goal for the Thr🅷ee Lions but Rice did not feel the need for celebrations.
"Obviously, it was an amazing feeling to score, but I was never going to celebrate. I have Irish family, my nan and grandad, who are not here anymore and I think it would have been disrespectful ♏to them if I celebrated," he told beIN Sports.
"It happened six, seven years ago so it🎶’s such a long t𒉰ime ago now. I get on really well with a lot of the Irish boys so there’s nothing hard done by, by me. Obviously, the fans feel a certain way, and that’s absolutely fine.
"I jꦇust wanted to focus♉ and get my head back in the game to score more goals."
The las🐻t time Rice had played at the Aviva Sta🧸dium in Dublin was six years and 97 days prior to Saturday's match. On that occasion, he represented Ireland against the USA in June 2018.
Now in the white shirt of England, Rice helped interim manager Carsley to a debut win in Dublin after the resignation of G🍃areth Southgate following Euro 2024.
"It's been refreshing this week to play with [Carsley] and 💞play with his staff. We're playing in a different way to what we were before," reflected Rice.
"I🌞t's going to take a bit of time for us to be amazing at what we do, but☂ a lot of the players that play at [Manchester] City, Liverpool, Arsenal, we play a similar way, so it's easy to adapt.
"It was really good, it was really refreshing. I'm feelin൩g much fitter in myself whi⭕ch is a real positive. It was a really good result in the end."
While Rice now represents a relative stalwart of the England squad with 59 caps, former England Under-21s manager Carsley, himself an ex-Ireland international, handed debuts to Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gom𒐪es, while he also played Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill from the start.
"We've obvious🐼ly ꦉbeen really close now in back-to-back Euros, at a World Cup, so the next thing for England is to win," said Rice.
