It was a rousing finale inside Tallaght Stadium last night.
The Ireland U21s had been held by a stubborn, gutsy Azerbaijan side. With Noel King’s men desperate to reach next summer’s European Championships, a scoreless draw at home against a side who had picked up just a single point in their previous six qualifiers would have felt like a blow.
Then, Shaun Donnellan’s effort right at the death clinched it, moving Ireland into second place in the group, three points behind Germany but with a game in hand.
The Yeovil Town defender’s 99th-minute winner sparked frenzied celebrations inside the ground. Forget that it’s the U21s, this is still Ireland – it’s important.
The way in which Declan Rice responded to the goal certainly made it feel that way. The versatile West Ham man, fresh from impressing on his senior international debut, dove straight back into action with the U21s.
Although the seniors training camp and 90 minutes in Antalya on Friday evening were undoubtedly taxing, Rice was never not going to play in this match.
“To motivate myself to get back was an easy thing to do,” Rice told RTE Sport afterwards.
Brilliant scenes at full time! What a way to win a game! #COYBIG #IRLU21 pic.twitter.com/KZ6kJRGFTN
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 27, 2018
While it was pleasing to see Rice slot seamlessly into an otherwise directionless Ireland set-up in Turkey, his supremely confident display came with a tinge of consternation. Should he continue to exhibit such quality on the pitch, then a phone call from England seems inevitable.
Rice, sufficiently media trained by his Premier League at this stage, was careful with his words when pressed about his future. He said things like ‘I’m fully committed to Ireland right now,’ with ‘right now’ being the operative phrase.
It was impossible to question that but, given the scenes in Tallaght on Tuesday night, it became easier to envisage Rice in green long-term.
In the midst of the hysteria, Rice turned back to the fans, pumped his fists and kissed the badge. While it would be a misapprehension to surmise that his actions were a declaration on his future, it was certainly a striking expression of his passion. You can see it in the clip below. Rice is number six. The badge-kissing comes 30 seconds in.
🎥 Incredible fan footage from tonight’s #IRLU21🇮🇪 win against Azerbaijan!
Look at the passion in the celebrations! 🙌🏻🙌🏻#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/o7p3qDGGp5
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 27, 2018
Maybe he just loves playing for Ireland. Of course, it helps when you’re involved in late, late showings of heroics.
We’re trying not to get too excited Rice, but give us a break: as Ireland fans, we haven’t had much to shout about recently. It will be exciting to see Rice back involved with the senior squad for the friendlies against France and the USA at the end of May/start of June, but it will be equally great to keep him involved with Noel King’s young charges as they look to book their ticket to Italy and San Marino next summer.
Officially, Rice does not escape England’s clutches until he turns out in a competitive game for Ireland, which will be away to Wales on September 6th. Until then, we’ll half expect Gareth Southgate to begin his pursuit, but Rice’s stirring display of badge-kissing certainly put our mind at ease. For now.
