"It would have been disrespectful to them" - Declan Rice reveals why he didn't celebrate after scoring goal for England in Ireland win

England midfielder Declan Rice spoke about why he did not celebrate after scoring against Ireland on Saturday, September 7. The Arsenal star said that the decision to not rejoice after finding the back of the net was pre-meditated.

The Three Lions took on their neighbors Ireland in the UEFA Nations League yesterday at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Two first-half goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish handed interim boss Lee Carsley a winning start to his England career.

Rice opened the scoring in the 11th minute after smashing a loose ball in the box into the roof of the net. After scoring, he held his hands in the air in an apologetic manner out of respect for Ireland.

In the post-match interview, the Arsenal midfielder was asked about the frosty reception he got and his decision not to celebrate. He told Sky Sports that he wanted to show respect to his family, who are of Irish descent.

"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 had celebrated. Seeing my dad was here as well, so [I didn't celebrate]," Rice clarified.

He added that he was focused on playing for the team and helping them further.

"I just wanted to focus. Scoring is a nice feeling. But, I just wanted to focus on getting back in the game and score more goals," he added.

Declan Rice played the entire 90 minutes as England kept it tight at the back to win 2-0.

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Declan Rice speaks about his and Grealish's Irish descent

Rice was not the only England player of Irish descent to score in the match. Manchester City winger Jack Grealish doubled England's advantage 15 minutes after Rice's goal. Incidentally, both the goalscorers are of Irish descent, who played for the Ireland youth teams before switching allegiances to England.

Rice was asked if he had discussed with Grealish about the reception they are likely to face in Dublin and if the decision to not celebrate was pre-planned.

"No, not at all. Obviously we've seen such much stuff recently. This happened 6 or 7 years ago. It's such a long time ago now," Declan Rice said.

He added that he understands the fans' frustrations but added that he harbors no ill feelings towards the country of his grandparents' descent.

"I get on really well with some of the Irish boys. There's no hard feelings by me. Obviously the fans feel that way and that's absolutely fine," Rice admitted.

England travel back home to face Finland on Tuesday, September 10 at the Wembley Stadium.