Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has now shared the message that was being passed between England players as they faced defeat against Slovakia.
England left things extremely late to secure passage to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
After an abject performance, Gareth Southgate’s side still trailed 1-0 as the final minute of the five that were added on at the end of the ninety approached. At that late, late point, the Three Lions were still yet to register a shot on target, and were facing up to a humiliating exit from the tournament.
Had Slovakia held on for this famous win, then the nature of England’s departure would have rivalled the embarrassment they suffered when they were dumped out of Euro 2016 by Iceland.
However, Arsenal star Declan Rice insists that, even at this stage, the players had not lost faith.
Arsenal ace Declan Rice lifts lid on England players’ conversations on the pitch v Slovakia
Of course, players communicate on the pitch all the time, but fans are rarely privy to what is being said.
Now, though, Rice has opened up about what was being discussed by England’s stars as the final minutes of their clash with Slovakia ticked away and they remained a goal down.
Speaking to beIN Sports after the match, the 25-year-old said: “One minute to go, there’s players on the pitch saying to each other ‘this is still going to happen, we’re still going to get one more chance. Keep believing. Keep driving on.’ And it happened. That comes from belief within.”
The England players’ faith was rewarded in the 95th minute, as Marc Guehi flicked on a ball across the box with his head. It came to Jude Bellingham, who was able to execute an audacious bicycle kick.
The ball nestled into the bottom corner, sending the game to extra-time. Almost immediately in the added-on period, Harry Kane was able to nod England ahead. Rice then played a key role in helping the national side to see out the win.
Why England haven’t seen the best of Rice at Euro 2024
Arsenal fans felt that Rice was one of England’s better players against Slovakia. He certainly worked hard to break up opposition attacks in extra-time, and was also close to making himself a hero even earlier than that, as prior to Bellingham’s equaliser, the former West Ham United man saw an effort from range crash back off the post.
Rice is yet to really have an impact in the final third at Euro 2024, despite having developed hugely as an attacking force at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. However, Southgate’s tactics do not allow Rice to express himself in attacking sense as freely as he can for the Gunners.
