Declan Rice launched a scathing verbal volley at Slovakia's manager Francesco Calzona after he shoved him, following England's last-16 win on Sunday.
The Three Lions turned out winners in their nail-biting 2-1 extra-time victory, securing their spot in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals where they'll take on Switzerland next Saturday who dispatched current holders Italy 2-0 this past weekend.
The 25-year-old midfielder was pivotal throughout the entire 120 minutes of play, but tensions flared post-match when Calzona, visibly irate, stormed towards the match officials to confront referee Umut Meler over his dissatisfaction with the Turkish official's decisions.
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Amid the full-time drama, as Calzona made a beeline for Meler, Rice apparently tried to intervene, only to be met with a forceful push from the Slovakian head honcho, prompting an angry response from the England star who was then shoved again by a member of Calzona's coaching team.
As team-mates Ivan Toney and Aaron Ramsdale escorted him away from the fracas, Rice was seen shouting what appeared to be the words 'bald c***' in the direction of Calzona, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Later, once tempers had subsided, Calzona offered his perspective on the fiery exchange, stating: "Rice was supposed to go to the referees and leave. 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 were not punished".
Rice, while addressing the media post-match, chose not to comment on the controversy but instead focused on the victory and Jude Bellingham's performance. "It was a big moment for 21 years old, that takes a lot of guts, he told BBC Sport.
"People don't understand what you have to go through to get over the line. We are not playing against invisible men. They are top footballers, they kept going after us. It was a big moment for [the] 21-year-old, that takes a lot of guts.
"People don't understand what you have to go through to get over the line. We are not playing against invisible men. They are top footballers, they kept going after us. It is about waiting for those moments as the game got stretched we created more. The fans tonight I cannot speak highly enough of them. So grateful they are all here to experience that."
