Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice have heaped praise on Reece James following England's 3-0 win over Latvia. The Chelsea captain fired the Three Lions to victory at Wembley Stadium on Monday night, scoring his first goal on the senior international stage.
James put Thomas Tuchel's side ahead shortly before half-time with a brilliant free-kick. England leapt out of the blocks after the break, with Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze finding the net in quick succession.
Toward the end of the second half, James joined Jordan Henderson in midfield as the Three Lions looked to see out the game. England have now won each of their first two games in their World Cup qualifying campaign, enjoying the perfect start to life under Tuchel.
After the game, James marked the occasion with a celebratory post on Instagram – which tallied nearly 200,000 likes by Tuesday morning. Without a caption, the 25-year-old defender uploaded a carousel of action shots from the match.
Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, among other friends, family and England teammates, rushed to the comment section to congratulate James on his performance. The Arsenal midfielder wrote: "Too much tek [love heart eyes emoji]."
Meanwhile, the Aston Villa loanee posted a 'cold' emoji and the Manchester City winger said: "Jowkkeeeee." KSI also poked fun at the Chelsea star for his nonchalant celebration, writing: "I understand the respectful no celebration since you used to play for Latvia [wink face and laughing face emoji]."
When asked about his relaxed celebration on ITV, James smiled: "I was surprised it hit the back of the net. I thought the keeper could have maybe got there but looking at the replay, it was probably tough."
And on the strike, James added: "I saw the wall and I thought I could bend it round and thankfully I managed to hit the back of the net."
Meanwhile, speaking to Sky Sports, Tuchel said: "There cannot be any doubt about Reece's quality, it's the highest level. We were in close contact in the last weeks. We were clear he'd trained without pause and if he didn't play it was the choice of the club, protecting him.
"We knew he was in a good space mentally," added the former Chelsea boss. "I know the quality he has in that foot - it's amazing. He has every right to be happy and proud of his performance. He's in excellent shape.
"When we called him up he hadn't had many games but it wasn't due to injury, they were just taking care and managing him. "He looks sharp and in shape.
"With his quality, there can be no doubt."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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