Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona has said that England midfielder Declan Rice apologised to him following their fiery exchange at Euro 2024 on Sunday night.
Ex-Napoli boss Calzona was seen pushing Rice away shortly after the final whistle in England’s 2-1 extra-time win in the round of 16.
According to lipreader Jeremy Freeman, a furious Rice told Calzona, who was trying to speak to the referee: ‘Shut up, p***y, oi, shut up, you bald c***.’
Calzona later revealed that he wanted to speak to the officials at full-time to complain about their failure to punish England’s time-wasting tactics during extra time.
‘Rice was supposed to go to the referees and leave,’ Calzona said. ‘I had to speak to the refs and he wasn’t leaving, he carried on. But then he apologised and it was all fine. I didn’t like the way the England team were wasting time and not punished.’
Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona pictured speaking at a press conference on Sunday
Calzona had earlier been involved in a post-game spat with England star Declan Rice (left)
Calzona’s team had been just seconds away from a famous victory before Jude Bellingham scored a spectacular equaliser in the 95th minute.
That cancelled out Ivan Schranz’s first-half opener before Three Lions captain Harry Kane headed home the winning goal just 51 seconds into extra time.
‘The disappointment is huge,’ Calzona added. ‘But I feel more pride than disappointment. We almost won and advanced against the world-class team. We tried very hard, we almost advanced. We failed to advance.
‘In extra time, we spent half an hour in the opponent’s half. I’m proud that we managed it this way and did such a great job.’
Asked if his team, which tried to play on the front foot as much as possible, could have done more to stop England’s two goals, Calzona replied: ‘Unfortunately, we conceded a goal with a few seconds left. Our team is not worth as much as they are. If you don’t pay attention, you are punished, I don’t want to blame or name anyone.
‘At that moment, we should have been more aggressive in defending individual players. I didn’t like the refereeing of the match. It’s not why we lost. I am proud of our team.’
Slovakia would have beaten England were it not for an amazing late goal by Jude Bellingham
Calzona was proud of his team despite their eventual defeat in extra time in the round of 16
Calzona said that he told his players in the dressing room: ‘You have done a great job, you are fantastic.’
He continued: ‘What else could I tell them? We played balanced games with everyone, we had chances, we scored goals. The statistics also confirm this.
‘Everyone is very disappointed because we were almost in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, the dream has faded, but we have to accept it.’
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