After giving England the lead in their 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland, DECLAN RICE declined to celebrate in front of the home crowd.
However, Jack Grealish was anything but bashful as he celebrated his goal against the nation he once represented by punching the air.
The Boys in Green capped Rice THREE times as an Arsenal player until he controversially switched allegiances in 2019.
At the Aviva Stadium, fans booed Rice vehemently. One fan even carried a sign calling him a “snake” alongside Grealish, a former Ireland U21 player.
The two also loudly sang “God Save the Queen” to the home crowd, even though manager and former Ireland international Lee Carsley declined to join in. This was likely to infuriate the supporters.
But after 11 minutes, Rice gave England the lead, raising the stakes in the capital.
The midfield player took advantage of a loose ball and shot past Caoimhan Kelleher of Liverpool.
And he set off frenzied scenes of joy among the England supporters positioned behind the Irish net.
Rice, however, made a peace sign with his hands and declined to join in the celebration.
However, Grealish celebrated without hesitation after hitting the goal after 26 minutes.
The Man City player gave a high-flying leap, punched the air, and gave teammates hugs.
And fans adored Rice and Grealish’s contrasting strategies.
“This rice celebration is killing me. How do you hold your hands up like you scored in an international match against your old team?” exclaimed one.
“I’m crying because Rice won’t celebrate against his former country,” exclaimed another.
“Grealish ran over to the English fans like he had won the World Cup,” one person wrote.
“Rice didn’t celebrate,” another person stated. Grealish declared, “Observe this.”
After the game, Rice said he didn’t want to “disrespect” his late Irish grandparents, which was why he didn’t celebrate.
“Obviously, my grandparents are Irish, and they are no longer with us,” he remarked.
I therefore didn’t want to treat anyone disrespectfully. I didn’t believe it was acceptable and I had a great time playing for Ireland.”