What Declan Rice shouted at Slovakia manager after England qualified for Euro 2024 quarter-finals
Declan Rice celebrates victory over Slovakia
England midfielder Declan Rice called Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona a “bald c**t” in the aftermath of the Three Lions’ 2-1 extra-time victory on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate’s side looked set to be heading home as Ivan Schranz’s first-half strike had Slovakia ahead until Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick deep into stoppage time tied the game.
England striker Harry Kane then headed home to secure a 2-1 victory that sets up a quarter final clash with Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
Tempers flared at the final whistle with Arsenal midfielder Rice and Calzona involved in a bit of pushing and shoving before other players intervened.
When asked what happened during the incident, the Slovakia manager said: “Rice was supposed to go to the referees and say goodbye and then leave.
“I had to speak to the referees and he was carrying on, continuing to speak. Then he apologised and it all ended there.”
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But now the Daily Mail‘s expert lip-reader Jeremy Freeman has revealed that Rice yelled: “Shut up, p***y, oi, shut up, you bald c***.”
Like their performances in the group stage, England laboured at times but ultimately got the job done and now John Stones believes the team can now play with more freedom in Germany.
“What a game, what a way for us to get through,” Stones said.
“It was not the way that we wanted to but I think the fight, the desire… that people wanted to see from us at home, from people in the stands – that fight for the shirt, for everyone that’s come out to support us was there and more.
“That’s what’s got us through, we didn’t play the best and that is down to us, which is frustrating.
“But I hope now, coming through such a tough time and doing things, taking risks with the ball, we can implement that now and kind of take the handbrake off in some senses to let our quality show.”
Stones added: “I think we’ve got that belief now. I think we had it before but we didn’t fully show that and our performances didn’t replicate that belief.
“We’ve got to always look at the negatives and the things that we can improve on because it’s a massive part of the games, massive part of what we do.
“We’re coming up another great side… another great test for us that we’re we’re excited for; I’ve not thought about it too much, to be honest, after the emotions but tomorrow we’ll be preparing as usual, and we’ve got to enjoy this, because it’s been tough, tough for everyone, and I want everyone to enjoy it.”