Jack Grealish responded to his name being roundly booed by the Republic of Ireland fans in the only way he knows how, by scoring England’s second goal and doubling the Three Lions’ lead to 2-0, taking tremendous delight in his celebration.
Grealish and Declan Rice, who previously represented Ireland before switching allegiances to England, were welcomed to the Aviva Stadium by a banner which read “the snakes are back”.
When their names were read out on the tannoy they were jeered. And that booing only intensified each time they touched the ball in the first match under new England interim boss Lee Carsley.
After 11 minutes, Rice gave the visitors the lead in Dublin, pouncing on a loose ball but after making three senior caps for the opposition – he elected not to celebrate out of respect for the country that his paternal grandparents hail from.
The Arsenal midfielder soon turned provider and a slick move ended with Rice teeing up Grealish, who took the opposite approach and celebrated with his team-mates and the travelling England contingent.
He jumped into the crowd with delight on his face, having been put back in from the cold by Carsley and getting one over the home fans who had been booing him at every opportunity.
Grealish then cupped his ears in a pointed gesture to the Ireland supporters. He was on the receiving end of a big challenge moments later but could only smile in the safety of a comfortable lead on his return to the Irish capital.
Unlike Rice, Grealish never represented the senior Ireland team but had played for them at youth level, up to the Under-21s before swapping international allegiances.
Grealish was born and raised in Solihull, just outside of Birmingham, but qualified to play for Ireland through his grandparents, with his grandmother born in Dublin and his grandfather in Kerry.
The Manchester City winger even played Gaelic football for John Mitchel’s Hurling and Camogie Club in Birmingham, but dons the England shirt on his kit, much to the frustration of the majority of the Aviva crowd.
