'I thought': Jamie O'Hara shares honest opinion on Declan Rice display as England beat Slovakia

Arsenal star Declan Rice helped England to a nervy 2-1 win over Slovakia at Euro 2024 on Sunday evening.

The Three Lions looked all but set to crash out of the tournament in the last-16 after trailing for the majority of the game.

Ivan Schranz’s first-half effort stunned Declan Rice and England, with Gareth Southgate’s men way below par in the opening 45 minutes.

England improved after the break as Southgate finally decided to make changes shortly after the hour mark, which interestingly led to Bukayo Saka playing at left-back.

Nevertheless, it was a moment of magic from Jude Bellingham that saved Southgate and England as the Real Madrid star produced a stunning overhead kick in the 95th minute.

Harry Kane’s early effort in extra time proved to be enough to earn a spot in the quarter-finals but once again, the Three Lions were far from convincing on the night.

Despite an underwhelming performance from Southgate’s men, Jamie O’Hara was impressed with Rice’s display in the middle of the park.

READ MORE: Jude Bellingham makes claim about Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka at left-back after England 2-1 Slovakia

O’Hara praises Rice after England scrape past Slovakia

Both Rice and Saka played the full 120 minutes to help England avoid an embarrassing defeat in the last 16.

While Saka ended up at right wing-back, Rice very much remained in his natural position at the base of midfield.

Speaking on talkSPORT, O’Hara reflected on a difficult night for England and hit back at a caller who claimed Rice should be dropped for the next game due to a lack of progressive passing.

“I thought Rice was good,” the former Tottenham man said. “I think Declan Rice wants to play forward. When you watch him play for Arsenal, he always looks to play forward.”

READ MORE: Stuart Pearce sums up Declan Rice’s performance in one word as Arsenal star helps England win at Euro 2024

Rice’s display for England in numbers

According to the statistics site WhoScored, Rice was England’s standout player against Slovakia as he picked up a match rating of 8/10.

The 25-year-old barely misplaced a pass and provided constant protection in front of the back four.

Rice also came close to levelling the game up for England inside 90 minutes as his effort from range came off the inside of the post.