Jack Grealish said he has no 'bad blood' for Ireland after scoring in England’s 2-0 win in their Nations League Group B 2 encounter in the Aviva Stadium.
Grealish and his English team-mate Rice were the subject of boos by the Irish crowd throughout the game but the Man City midfielder said the hostile reception was something he anticipated having once played underage for Ireland.
Having enjoyed his time playing for Ireland, he said he has no bad blood for Ireland, pointing also to his family connections here.
“It’s what I think me and Dec expected,” Grealish said as he spoke to ITV alongside Rice after the game.
"Me and Dec have nothing bad to say.. I've got a lot of Irish in my family so there's no bad blood" 🗣️@JackGrealish & @_DeclanRice speaking to @GabrielClarke05 after #IREENG pic.twitter.com/om4ZPX9VxQ
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 7, 2024
“Listen, I said before the game it’s different. Me and Dec have nothing bad to say, we both enjoyed our time playing here [in Ireland] I certainly did. I have a lot of Irish in my family so there’s no bad blood whatsoever from my side.”
Arsenal midfielder Rice opened the scoring after 12 minutes, rifling into the top corner after Anthony Gordon had ran in behind the Ireland defence.
There was no celebration from Rice - a man who played three senior games for Ireland - and instead he held his two hands out in an apologetic manner. He later explained this was in respect of his late grandparents.
Grealish doubled the lead fifteen minutes later after another slick England move.
The exceptional Rice turned provider this time, playing a deft one-two with Bukayo Saka on the edge of the box before cutting invitingly back to Grealish.
The former Ireland underage player slipped it brilliantly into the left-hand corner of the net, again giving Caoimhín Kelleher no chance.
The only difference was that unlike Rice, he celebrated with glee, jumping into the sky before punching the air. The boos rang around the ground and Grealish responded by blocking his ears.
He said afterwards that he was delighted to re-discover the goalscoring touch having had ‘one of the worst summers of his life’ after missing out on England’s squad for the Euros.
“Just at the end, going to the fans and hearing them sing my name [means everything]. Everyone will say the same, there’s no better feeling than playing for England especially in games like this when the whole nation will be watching.
“It was one of the worst summers of my life. That was difficult, but it’s given me more resolve to bounce back.”
Rice, meanwhile, said it was a ‘great feeling’ to score alongside Rice and hailed manager Lee Carsley after his first game and first win in the England hotseat.
“To score alongside Jack was a really nice feeling,” said Rice.
"Lee has been amazing to work with. The way he’s worked in training has been really good. To get a win today was the main thing for us.”
Ipswich Town winger Chiedozie Ogbene was the man-of-the-match from the Irish side and he said the damage was done for Ireland with a poor start.
“We gave ourselves a hard battle from day one. It was a poor start. Two balls in behind cost us the game ultimately.
“The gaffer told us in the second half to just stay in the game as much as possible. I felt we were more on the front foot in the second half, getting pressure on them.
“But I feel like the damage was done in the first half. I think we had some moments but maybe the final ball could have helped us more.”
“We live and we learn. We have to look to Tuesday against the likes of Greece, these will be our battles. The likes of Greece and Finland. We just have to come out and give it our all and hopefully get some results,” he added.
