It’s always a proud moment to score for England — Rice

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It’s always a proud moment to score for England — Rice

Stephen Oladehinde 17:56 - 24.03.2023

Declan Rice scored the first goal for England during their clash against Italy which ended in a 2-1 victory and he was excited to help his team secure the win in the first match of their European Qualification.

The English international opened the campaign with a swift finish from inside the box and Harry Kane slotted in a Penalty for the visitors to secure their first win over Italy in 60 years. The Italians tried to fight back after scoring very early in the second half with Mateo Retegui scoring a goal to reduce the two goals deficit but their effort was not enough. 

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Luke Shaw also got sent off after getting two yellow cards in quick succession and was dismissed, but the visitors managed to hold on and earn a valiant three points.

Declan Rice - It’s always a proud moment

When asked about the win, Declan Rice said “I think it was a story of two halves. We completely controlled and dominated the game in the first half and could have been three goals up. 

"In the second half, we put ourselves under all sorts of pressure straight from the start. But we showed all sorts of desire and the mentality needed to dig in after going down to ten men. It’s a first win for us here in Italy for a long time so it was a big night for us.

Still speaking, “ I think I was shocked that it dropped to me but I just wanted to make good contact with the ball. I think I scuffed it, but it went in and they all count. 

“Every time you score is such a proud moment, let alone when you do it for your country,” he continued. 

“I think I was shocked that it dropped to me, to be honest with you, but I just wanted to make a good contact with the ball. I think I scuffed it, but it went in and they all count.

“I was absolutely buzzing to get that goal and for Harry Kane to then score, it topped off a great first-half performance. We really dominated and showed what we’re about and the next step is to apply that across all 90 minutes.”

The West Ham midfielder netted his third goal for England on his 40th appearance and is hoping he can contribute more goals for his team.

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