JACK GREALISH has opened up on “one of the worst summers of my life” after scoring against the Republic of Ireland.
England star Grealish netted the second in a 2-0 win at the Aviva Stadium, handing a debut victory to interim boss Lee Carsley.
Former Ireland U21s star Grealish was on the receiving end of the Irish boo boys throughout the match.
And he celebrated wildly after being teed up by Declan Rice.
15 minutes earlier, the Arsenal man put England ahead in Dublin.
But Rice refused to celebrate after playing three times for Ireland before switching allegiances in 2019.
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Grealish was more than happy to party with fans though.
And he was left beaming from ear to ear as they sang his name.
It marked a brilliant turnaround for the Manchester City winger, who was axed by Gareth Southgate for England’s Euro 2024 adventure.
But it also allowed Grealish to leave “one of the worst summers of my life” in the past.
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He explained: “(The game meant) everything. Then at the end going to the fans and hearing them sing my name and stuff.
“Everyone will say the exact same thing, there’s no better feeling than playing for England, especially in games like this when you know the whole nation is going to be watching.
“Over the summer, I’ve said it before in another interview, honestly it was probably one of the worst summers of my life because you can’t not see everything that’s happening in front of you.
“It was difficult but it’s given me more resolve to bounce back.”
Grealish and Rice were given a torrid time by Irish fans, with some even brandishing a banner calling them both “snakes.”
But Grealish insisted there were no hard feelings on his part, adding: “It’s what me and Dec expected.
“I said before the game I think it’s different. Me and Dec have nothing bad to say. We both enjoyed our time playing here, I certainly did.
“I’ve got a lot of Irish in my family so there’s no bad blood.”
England Player Ratings vs Ireland
DECLAN RICE silenced his Irish critics with a dominant display in England’s Nations League opener.
Lee Carsley’s players handed him a debut win as interim manager of the Three Lions.
Rice starred in the first half as he netted the opener and then set up England’s second goal.
Jack Grealish doubled up for England after being set up by Rice 15 minutes later.
Anthony Gordon however faded in the match as he was not able to have as much success as Grealish.
SunSport’s Charlie Wyett has rated England’s players’ performance against Ireland…
JORDAN PICKFORD – 6
Pushed away a half decent shot from Sammie Szmodics at the start of the game but as England took control, he had a stress-free game.
After a difficult couple of weeks with Everton, he would have been grateful for this.
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD – 7
Looked more at home at right-back compared to the disastrous midfield experiment at the Euros.
Stunning pass in a move that eventually led to the first goal. He has to remain as England’s right-back.
MARC GUEHI – 7
Enjoyed a decent Euros and switched over to the right of central defence as John Stones was named on the bench.
Looks increasingly like a top-drawer defender.
HARRY MAGUIRE – 7
Was left devastated after failing to make the Euro 2024 squad but he has enjoyed a decent start with Manchester United and looked solid here.
When he is not in the team, England do miss his aerial presence. 7
LEVI COLWILL – 7
Second appearance for England and was deployed at left-back.
Unlike the Euros, England have much better balance in defence with a natural left footer in this position. 7
DECLAN RICE – 9
Enjoyed an absolute stormer in what could have been a difficult afternoon.
Booed every time he touched the ball, the former Irish international quietened the boisterous home fans with a brilliant finish although refused to celebrate.
He then set up the second for Grealish.
KOBBIE MAINOO – 7
Fits perfectly into Carsley’s style of play. Some of his passing was excellent, particularly in the final third of the pitch, and this included his part in the outstanding second goal.
BUKAYO SAKA – 7
Enjoying a terrific start to the season with Arsenal – he has been nominated as their player of the month – and played with plenty of confidence here.
Was involved in the second goal.
JACK GREALISH – 8
Left out of the Euros squad, but loved every minute of this.
A decent finish for 2-0 and unlike Rice, celebrated in front of the visiting fans by raising both arms in triumph.
ANTHONY GORDON – 6
Looked really lively early on but faded.
He should have put England ahead when clean through but was lucky that seconds later, Rice hammered his shot into the corner. 6
HARRY KANE – 6
Missed with a header and despite working hard, did not actually have that many chances despite England having so much possession.
Subs
Gibbs-White (for Grealish 77 mins) 6, Gomes (for Mainoo 77) 6, Eze (for Gordon 77 mins) 6, Bowen (for Kane 84 mins) 6, Stones (for Maguire 85) 6.
Subs not used: Henderson, Pope, Lewis, Gallagher, Livramento, Konsa, Madueke.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
