IRELAND 1 : 2 GREAT BRITAIN
Valencia, Jan 20: In 2015 Ireland suffered Olympic heartbreak in Valencia and in2024 suffered heartbreak yet again. Great Britain went into this game having qualified for every Olympics except 2004. Ireland’s women on the other hand had only ever qualified for the Olympics in Tokyo which were deferred until 2021due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Ireland’s most recent victory over Great Britain going into this match was an unofficial international warm up match ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in Belfast during 2020 when travel was restricted. In major tournaments where the caps counted as did the ranking points Great Britain always enjoyed the upper hand. This was the history as Ireland entered the bronze medal win or bust final this afternoon in Valencia.
Ireland started well but Great Britain were dangerous on the counterattack. Indeed, the first clear cut scoring opportunity fell to the 2016 Gold medallists. Katie Robertson almost opened the scoring for Great Britain. She lobbed McFerren but Charlotte Beggs cleared it off the line. Her second effort was hit away by McFerren’s block in the 8th minute. Ireland dominated possession in the closing stages of the first quarter, Ireland 0 Great Britain 0. Great Britain took the lead in the 18th minute after a counterattack into the Irish D they were awarded a penalty corner. Sarah Jones deflected the ball past Ayeisha McFerren, Ireland 0 Great Britain 1.
Great Britain had the better of the possession for the rest of the half save for a breakaway by Katie Mullan whose cross deflected skywards was deemed dangerous and ended up with a free hit out of their own D for Great Britain half time score was Ireland 0 Great Britain 1. The main feature of the third quarter from an Irish point of view was that Deirdre Duke left the field through injury.
Sarah Jones crossed a ball later in the quarter which Ayeisha McFerren had to kick clear. Ireland were awarded a penalty corner in the 41st minute. Ireland were only able to win a long corner from the penalty corner. Ireland had a reasonable amount of possession in the third quarter and were on the attack when the end of third quarter hooter sounded. Score remained Ireland 0Great Britain 1.
Katie Robertson got the first Great Britain goal of her career to put Great Britain 2-0 ahead in the 46th minute. Ireland withdrew goalkeeper McFerren in favour of an extra outfield player with 6minutes to go.
Best chance fell to Sarah Torrans who shot wide. Ireland were awarded a penalty corner which Great Britain referred to the video umpire. The umpire upheld the decision, and they lost their video referral. Heesh saved from McLoughlin. Ireland were looking for another penalty corner which was referred to the video umpire by Ireland, the penalty corner was awarded and Heesh saved and also blocked the rebound from Niamh Carey .
In the final minute Ireland tried to get on the scoreboard. In the last seconds Ireland looked for a penalty corner and it was referred to the video umpire. Ireland were awarded the penalty corner. McLoughlin’s first effort hit a foot and Ireland were awarded another penalty corner. Ireland scored through Hannah McLoughlin with the last hit of the game to make it Ireland 1 Great Britain 2, but the clock had run out and so did our Olympic hopes.
IRELAND: Ayeisha McFerren, Róisín Upton, Niamh Carey, Sarah Hawkshaw, Katie Mullan (C), Hannah McLoughlin, Naomi Carroll, Ellen Curran, Charlotte Beggs, Katie McKee, Beth Harper
SUBS USED: Sarah McAuley, Michelle Carey, Sarah Torrans, Elena Neill, Chloe Watkins, Deirdre Duke, Liz Murphy (GK)
GREAT BRITAIN: Sabbie Heesh (GK), Lily Owsley, Anna Toman, Hannah French, Sarah Jones, Sarah Robertson, Isabelle Petter, Giselle Ansley, Hollie Pearne-Webb (C), Fiona Crackles, Sophie Hamilton
SUBS USED: Amy Costello, Elena Rayer, Tessa Howard, Katie Robertson, Laura Roper, Lily Walker
IRELAND: Ayeisha McFerren, Róisín Upton, Niamh Carey, Sarah Hawkshaw, Katie Mullan (C), Hannah McLoughlin, Naomi Carroll, Ellen Curran, Charlotte Beggs, Katie McKee, Beth Harper
SUBS USED: Sarah McAuley, Michelle Carey, Sarah Torrans, Elena Neill, Chloe Watkins, Deirdre Duke, Liz Murphy (GK)
GREAT BRITAIN: Sabbie Heesh (GK), Lily Owsley, Anna Toman, Hannah French, Sarah Jones, Sarah Robertson, Isabelle Petter, Giselle Ansley, Hollie Pearne-Webb (C), Fiona Crackles, Sophie Hamilton
SUBS USED: Amy Costello, Elena Rayer, Tessa Howard, Katie Robertson, Laura Roper, Lily Walker
EY Hockey League returns after the Christmas break this weekend with the EYHL Division 2 2023/24 season start.
The League will sort out which teams from outside the EYHL gain promotion to the topflight at the end of the season. The teams qualify via their finishing position in their respective provincial leagues. The teams who were relegated from the topflight in 2022-23 are also included, making up a total of 20 teams. These twenty teams (10 male and 10 female) are divided into two groups of 5 in each division. One team in each Pool will be idle per week.
The top two in each Division qualify for the EYHL 2 semi-finals in both men’s and women’s categories. There is a finals weekend hosted where the semi-finals are played off on a Saturday and the finals are played on the Sunday. The good news for the finalists is that, as two teams are relegated from both the Men’s and Women’s top division each year, both finalists gain promotion to the EYHL Men’s and Women’s Division 1 respectively with a trophy being awarded to the winner to crown EYHL2 champions. But the main goal is promotion to the top flight for the four finalists concerned in both men’s and women’s competitions.
SATURDAY JANUARY 20, 2024
EYHL 2 MEN POOL A
BANGOR V QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY, BANGOR AURORA
PEMBROKE WANDERERS V AVOCA, SERPENTINE AVENUE 16:00
EYHL 2 MEN POOL B
CORK CHURCH OF IRELAND V SOUTH ANTRIM, GARRYDUFF 12:00
CORK HARLEQUINS V RAILWAY UNION, HARLEQUINS PARK, FARMER’S CROSS 14:45
EYHL 2 WOMEN POOL A
CORK HARLEQUINS V KILKENNY, HARLEQUINS PARK, FARMER’S CROSS 12:45
GREENFIELDS V BELFAST HARLEQUINS, SPORTS CAMPUS IRELAND ABBOTSTOWN 15:30
EYHL 2 WOMEN POOL B
ARDS V UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK, LONDONDERRY PARK 13:00
MUCKROSS V UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY, MUCKROSS PARK 13:30
The Men’s Irish Senior Cup 2024 competition first round has another tie down for decision this weekend when N.I. Civil Service take on Cookstown. The rest of the ties will be taking place over the next few weeks. Teams currently involved in quarter-finals and knockout stages of provincial cup competitions will play their ties once those other matches have been completed.
MEN’S IRISH SENIOR CUP
N.I. CIVIL SERVICE V COOKSTOWN, VENUE TBC 14:30
IRELAND 3:1 KOREA
Players in front of fans after the match.
The task for Ireland going into tonight’s last pool match of these Olympic Qualifiers was simple. A win and second place in the pool and a spot in the semi-finals would be secure. In fact, a draw given Ireland’s superior goal difference to the Koreans might also have been enough. Belgium went on from their 0-0 draw with Ireland to beat Korea 10-1 and Ukraine 13-0 and win the Group. Ireland would have needed to beat Korea 15-0 to win the group and that outcome was highly unlikely. to secure a semi-final tilt with Great Britain.
Hannah McLoughlin had an early penalty corner attempt saved by Eunji KIM. McFerren made a good save from a circle entry by the Koreans. The ball struck her on the lower arm, and she needed a little attention from the physio before continuing in action. Korea forced a number of corners both long and penalty in the 10th minute without really testing McFerren.
Ireland finished the quarter strongly 0-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Korean defended well in numbers and having shipped 10 goals against the Belgians in their previous outing were determined there would not be a repeat. Jeogihn Kim was green carded for Korea in the 19th minute Sarah Hawkshaw got green carded in the 22nd minute but neither Ireland or Korea were unable to put their temporary numerical advantages to productive use. Korea and Ireland were taking it in turns to attack as the quarter drew to a close. Sarah Torrans dived in to intercept a pass across goal by a Korean player, but her interception didn’t go on target. It was 0-0 at half time.
The third quarter began and Roisín Upton was green carded in the 32nd minute. Ireland got their second penalty corner of the match in the 34th minute while shorthanded. Sarah Hawkshaw diving in at the far post converted the penalty corner from Hannah McLoughlin’s initial goal bound shot. Ireland 1-0. Korea didn’t see the ball while Ireland were shorthanded as the girls in green defended well.
Sarah Torrans was green carded in the 41st minute and again Ireland had the better of times during her absence. Deirdre Duke was unlucky not to score diving effort saved by Eunji KIM and while on the ground she attempted another which the keeper batted away with her blocker. Deirdre Duke had gone on a run and shot the ball in the net in the 45th minute .
The Koreans referred it to the video referral. But the goal stood, and the Koreans lost their video referral. Ireland led 2-0 at the end of the third quarter. Eunbi Cheon, the Korean captain almost got them on the score sheet in the fourth quarter forcing a save from Ayeisha McFerren. From the resultant long corner, Korea did score the ball was sent to Cho Hyejin at the far post and she scored to make it 2-1. This was the first goal Ireland had conceded in the tournament. Michelle Carey was yellow carded and Ireland were shot handed for Ireland were awarded a penalty stroke in the 55th minute which Roisin Upton converted with aplomb to make it 3-1 to Ireland. The Koreans withdrew their goalkeeper with five minutes to go. Ireland failed to convert a penalty corner when Korea had no keeper, and they also had the ball in the net, but the whistle had already blown for a free hit to Korea in the closing minutes. The Koreans forced a penalty corner in the 58th minute but were unable to convert it and Ireland held out to win 3-1. They will face Spain the winners of Pool B in their semi-final.
After the match, we spoke with Captain Katie Mullan and Player of the Match, Sarah Hawkshaw
To Katie Mullan:
Q.1 Katie, a place in the semi-finals secured an important first step?
“It feels great we are very excited. This is the place we wanted to be in. I’m really proud of the girls tonight. It was another game and another job done. And we put in a brilliant performance. Everyone did their job and we are ready to go for the semi-final”
Q2. Is it good to have a familiar opponent in the semi-finals?
“Yeah we’ve played Spain a lot and we have lot of experience of playing against them , and on this pitch. I’ve no doubt that it will be a good battle but we’ll be ready for it.”
To Sarah Hawkshaw:
Q.1 Tell us about the first goal of the game. Was that one from the training ground?
“Yeah most certainly is. Look , for that to come off , all the basics have to be right . Hannah McLoughlin delivered a great ball. So I just had the small matter of touching it in.”
Q.2 Sarah there were a number of green and yellow cards awarded against Ireland today and we played much of the second half down to 10 players , were you under increased pressure short handed?
“We always like to make it a little bit more exciting don’t we? It is a bit more pressure, but we practice those scenarios though. We know what it’s like to be down (players) because of cards. Cards come freely in the game. We have to be used to it. We showed a lot of resilience I think to hold them out.”
IRELAND: Ayeisha Mc Ferren, Róisín Upton, Hannah McLoughlin, Ellen Curran, Beth Harper, Katie McKee, Sarah Hawkshaw, Katie Mullan (C ), Charlotte Beggs, Naomi Carroll, Niamh Carey
SUBS USED: Sarah McAuley (5 mins), Michelle Carey (6 mins), Sarah Torrans (6 mins), Elena Neill (5 mins), Chloe Watkins (6 mins), Deirdre Duke (5 mins), Liz Murphy (GK) (not used)
KOREA: Eunji KIM (GK), Jungeun SEO, Hynju AN, Eunbi CHEON (C), Hyejin CHO, Minjeong KIM, Eunji CHO, Yuri LEE, Seungae PARK, Suyoung SEO, Sujin AN
SUBS USED: Juyeon LEE (6 mins), Yujin LEE (3 mins), Soyeong KWON (9 mins), Jina KANG (7 mins), Eunji KIM (4 mins), Jeongihn KIM (3 mins), Seoyeon LEE (GK) (not used)
Hockey Ireland joins Ulster Hockey in sadness as it learns of the death of Dr Moira McKelvey (née Hopkins) who passed away peacefully on Thursday 11th January 2024.
Moira had a very distinguished hockey career which started off at Victoria College, Belfast. When she was at school, she won her first full international cap for Ireland at the age of 17. Her sister, Thelma, who was a year younger, was also on the team. Ireland played Wales on that occasion and won the match 2-1, with Moira scoring Ireland’s first goal and Thelma the second.
Moira had 15 Irish caps from 1953 to 1971 and represented Ulster in Interprovincial matches from 1952 to the late 1970s. After she graduated from Queens University in Medicine, she played for Victorians from 1958 to the late 1980s when she was nearly 50 years of age. A newspaper article, written in the Belfast Telegraph by Artie O’Neill in February 1981, had the headline, ‘Victorians owe a lot to Moira’, saying the young squad had the benefit of the maturity of former international Moira upfront and ’the speed that Moira moves on the field certainly belies her age’.
Off the pitch Moira contributed greatly to hockey in Ulster. She was President of the Ulster Women’s Hockey Union from 1981-1983 and sat on the Ulster Women’s Hockey Committee for many years. She was President of Victorians Ladies Hockey Club from 1985 to 2007 and was actively involved in the club as a player and an official for 49 years.
At this sad time we remember how much Moira gave to hockey over the years. Our condolences go to her husband, Jimmy, son Bill, grandsons Ben, Matt & Nick and her sister Thelma, who is in Canada.
IRELAND 5 UKRAINE 1
Ireland Men began their Olympic qualification Pool A campaign this evening with a game against Ukraine. The two sides had faced each other twice during the European Championships II finals in Dublin last summer so were familiar with each other.
Ireland dominated possession early on but as the game wore on, Ukraine grew into the game. Roman Bludov was the busier of the two goalkeepers as Ireland forced numerous penalty corners. Ireland opened the scoring when Ben Johnson scored from a penalty corner in the twenty fifth minute. Darragh Walsh almost added a second three minutes later. He was the creator of the second goal when it did arrive teeing up Lee Cole to score following some good approach play.
Ukraine’s attacking efforts were rewarded a minute later when they were awarded a penalty corner and drag flicker Viacheslav Paziuk got them on the scoreboard. Ireland went straight up the other end and forced a penalty corner which was the final play of the first half. Ukraine successfully repelled it to leave the half-time score Ireland 2 Ukraine 1.
Lee Cole was yellow carded near the end of the half and a Ukrainian player Miahilo Yasinskyi was green carded. Ukraine started strongly in the third quarter and forced a series of long corners in the thirty ninth minute and again in the forty third minute they had a promising move snuffed out by Ireland. Jeremy Duncan managed to turnover the ball and launched a counter-attack which Bludov blocked. End of third quarter still 2-1.
The fourth quarter was a different story entirely. Ireland broke from defence and Jeremy Duncan and Ben Johnson had an interchange of passes. Ireland were awarded a penalty corner and Ukraine asked for a video referral. The video umpire supported the original decision and Ukraine lost their referral. Lee Cole got his second of the game from the penalty corner to make it 3-1 in the 50th minute.
Jeremy Duncan caps off an historic day when he gets his 100th cap by scoring to make it 4-1 to Ireland. This was his 20th international goal. The victory was sealed when Darragh Walsh made it 5-1 with five minutes remaining.
Speaking after the game Jeremy Duncan said
“It’s a very proud day for my family and myself to play 100th game for my country. It’s always good to score a goal but the 5-1 was the most important thing. We have things to work on ahead of tomorrow’s game against Belgium the #2 ranked team in the world. It’s going to be a tough task, as will be the final group game against Japan. If we can keep a clean sheet against Belgium (as our women did) we’ll be in a very good place.”
Luke Madeley said after the game
“We’re just happy to get the first win on the board. Happy that the front six managed to break down Ukraine in that fourth quarter and get the goals. It’s going to be a huge challenge tomorrow against Belgium. We’ve got good experience in the team and we know we have to put this match tonight behind us and focus on the next one. We know that they (Belgium) are world class players so we have to be on top of our game, otherwise we as a team, will be doing a lot of ball chasing tomorrow.”
Earlier today in group A Belgium enjoyed a big 7-0 win over Japan to top the table after one round of games, this makes it vital that Ireland follow up today’s result with a win in game 3 against Japan and hopefully get a decent result against World Ranked #2 Belgium tomorrow evening.
Meanwhile in Group B Spain and Korea played out a 2-2 draw which puts Spain on four points following their 4-1 win over Austria on day 1. Austria are on three points in second spot in that table following their 2-0 win over Egypt in Sunday afternoon’s match. Korea are in third with 2 points, after today’s draw with Spain and Egypt are in fourth place with one point. Egypt had played out a 4-4 draw on day 1.
IRELAND: David Harte, Tim Cross, Shane O’Donoghue, Luke Madeley, John McKee, Matthew Nelson, Peter McKibbin, Sean Murray (C), Jeremy Duncan, Michael Robson, Nicholas Page
SUBS USED: Ben Johnson , Lee Cole, Kyle Marshall, Jonathan Lynch, Darragh Walsh, Sam Hyland
UKRAINE:- Roman Bludov, Mykhailo Yasinskyi , Viacheslav Paziuk, Dmytro Luppa (C), Vitalii Shevchuk, Maksym Onofriiuk, Bohdan Kovalenko, Andrii Koshlenko, Olksandr Solomianyi, Oleksandr Boiko, Volodymyr Kaplinskyi
SUBS USED: Bohdan Tovstolytkin (GK), Dmytro Hrubyi, Iurii Moroz, Oleksii Popov, Volodymyr Zhmereniuk, Volodymy Kostechko, Oleksandr Yasinskyi
IRELAND 0 BELGIUM 0
Ireland who are World ranked #13, began their Olympic qualification Pool A campaign with a defiant ‘backs to the wall’ performance against the European Silver medallists from 2023 and World Ranked #4 Belgium.
Charlotte Engelbert forced a penalty corner after only 20 seconds. It was the first of nine such corners awarded against Ireland in the first half. But the Irish defense marshalled by Lena Neill, Hannah McLoughlin and Roisín Upton and backstopped by player of the match Ayeisha McFerren were able to hold out not only in quarter one but quarter’s two and three as well.
Ireland were up against it for most of the first half. It was scoreless at half-time. McFerren made several saves including a double save from a penalty corner to keep Ireland in the match.
The third quarter saw Ireland gain a fair bit of possession, but they seemed to be unable to carve out too many clear-cut opportunities turning over the ball at times. It wasn’t until the fortieth minute that the first penalty corner for Ireland was awarded but Belgian substitute goalkeeper Elode Picard wasn’t troubled by Chloe Watkins’ effort nor Beth Harper’s attempt on the rebound.
Ireland had made good use of video referrals early on in the game getting two penalty corner awards overturned in the process. Neither side seemed capable of captilising on having an extra player. Belgium had one player green carded in the thirty fourth minute and Ireland had three players green carded at different stages in the second quarter.
The drama didn’t end there. In the final six seconds Belgium looked for a video referral as they claimed the ball hit an Irish foot inside the semi-circle. The video referral was inconclusive so Belgium had to face a free out and lost their video referral. The final blew soon afterwards and the score stood as it had at the first whistle, Ireland 0 Belgium 0.
This point which must be looked at as a bonus at this stage, is an excellent start and must be followed up strongly by a win on Monday morning against Ukraine. Then there will be the final pool match against Japan but a point against the pre-tournament favourites is a very good start indeed but must be followed up on.
Sean Dancer Ireland Head Coach said after the game:
“Belgium dominated the game, particularly the first half and are an excellent team. But we came into it a bit more in the third quarter and created a few chances. Ireland performed better in the second half.”
The final match of the day was the second Pool A game between Korea and Ukraine. Elsewhere in Pool A Great Britain defeated Canada 2-0 and Spain had a comfortable win over Malaysia by 7-0.
IRELAND: Ayeisha Mc Ferren, Bethany Harper, Elena Neill, Hannah McLoughlin, Katie McKee, Sarah Hawkshaw, Charlotte Beggs, Katie Mullan (c), Deirdre Duke, Naomi Carroll SUBS USED: Niamh Carey (3 mins), Chloe Watkins (3 mins), Sarah McAuley (4 mins), Michelle Carey (7 mins), Sarah Torrans (7 mins), Róisín Upton (7 mins)
BELGIUM: Aisling D’Hooghe, Justine Rasir, Alix Gerniers, Judith Vandermeiren, Emma Puvrez, Louise Versavel, Vanessa Blockmans, Michelle Struijk, Héléne Brasseur, Stephanie Vandenborre, Charlotte Engelbert, SUBS USED: Elodie Picard (GK) [31 mins], Ambre Ballenghen (3 mins), Barbara Nelen, Camille Belis (4 mins), Lien Hillewaart (5 mins). Abi Raye (5 mins)
First game starts Jan 13 as IRL Women take on world ranked #4 Belgium
Ireland’s International Hockey Men and Women are now in Valencia ahead of the start of their Olympic Qualifications. With games starting Jan 13, this is the last chance for both sides to qualify for the Paris Olympics this summer.
IRELAND WOMEN’S TEAM
Katie Mullan, Ireland Women’s Captain
In the women’s competition, Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Belgium (#4) whom they play on January 13th (start time is 5.30PM IRL). Also in the pool are Ukraine (#28) and Korea (#12).
Belgium are the highest ranked team in the pool, currently placed 4th in the world rankings. Their performances over the past year in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup and the FIH Hockey Pro League have been outstanding, which makes them the favourites to progress out of the pool.
Korea and Ireland are neck-and-neck in the world rankings in12th and 13th positions respectively, and the head-to-head matchup between the two sides might end up being crucial in deciding who qualifies for the semi-finals.
Ukraine’s star has been on the rise in international hockey over the past couple of years and it’ll come as no surprise to see them get the better of their higher ranked opponents and finish in the top-2 positions in Pool A.
A second placed group finish is essential to proceed further and then a further win in the knockout stages either in the semi-final (both finalists qualify automatically for Paris) or a win in the 3rd place play off will be required to get to the Olympic Games themselves in the summer.
The Belgians present a real challenge for the Irish as they are one of the strongest teams in the World who have not already qualified for the Summer Olympic games. Their key players include captain Barbara Mallen, Astrid Bonami, Stephanie Van Den Boore, Charlotte Engelbert and goalkeeper Aisling De Hooghe who has played at two World Cups and FIH Pro League.
The matches are available to view on TNT Sports and also online on watch.hockey and for fans based in Northern Ireland BBCNI Sport i-Player will have coverage online.
IRELAND MEN’S TEAM
Sean Murray, Ireland Men’s Captain
In the men’s competition, Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Ukraine (#28), Belgium (#2) and Japan (#15). They open their campaign against Ukraine on Sunday January 14th at 7:45pm IRL.
Ukraine are familiar opposition to Ireland as they played each other twice at last summer’s B Europeans, facing each other once in the pool stage and also in the finals at the Sport Ireland Campus last July. On both occasions Ireland won.
As we know from that tournament, Ukraine tend to start tournaments slowly and improve as the tournament wears on. So, to have Ukraine in the first match is probably ideal.
A second placed group finish is essential to proceed further and then a further win in the knockout stages either in the semi-final (both finalists qualify automatically for Paris) or a win in the 3rd place play off will be required to get to the Olympic Games themselves in the summer.
Ukraine’s standout players from the B European’s last summer included drag flicker Viacheslav Paziuk, Andrii Koshelenko, Maksym Onofiiuk, Oleksii Popov, and Oleksandr Boiko (who scored in the final match against Ireland.)
The matches are available to view on TNT Sports and also online on watch.hockey and for fans based in Northern Ireland BBCNI Sport i -Player will have coverage online.
IRELAND 6 PORTUGAL 2
Ireland secured the Pool A first place berth and a semi-final against Scotland on Friday evening with a 6-2 win over Portugal. It was a very close affair early on when Ireland raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to an 11th minute Benjamin Walker goal from open play and a converted penalty corner from Lee Cole on 19 minutes. Portugal responded through a David Franco converted penalty corner on 20 minutes to leave Ireland leading 2-1 at half time.
Sam Hyland was suspended for 10 minutes thanks to a 23rd minute yellow card which straddled the two halves and Portugal equalised on 33 minutes through a Rodrigo Rebelo penalty corner just as Ireland were about to revert to 11 players.
Jeremy Duncan restored Ireland’s lead through a field goal on 43 minutes to make it 3-2. Shane O’Donoghue converted a penalty corner on 53rd minute to give Ireland 4-2 lead. Within a minute Conor Empey got another goal from open play to make it 5-2 and a penalty corner in the final minute to secure a 6-2 win for Ireland .
Elsewhere in Pool A Ukraine secured second place and a semi-final berth against Pool B winners Italy on Friday by beating Czech Republic 5-1. Oleksii Popov gave them the lead from open play on 7 minutes. Andrii Koloshenko converted a penalty corner on 19 minutes to make it 2-0. Viacheslav Paziuk converted a penalty corner on 27 minutes made it 3-0 to Ukraine. Maksym Onofriiuk made it 4-0 on 39 minutes and Bohdan Kovalenko added a fifth a minute later to leave Ukraine leading 5-0.
Denis Tomes scored a penalty corner for Czech Republic to leave the final score 5-1 to Ukraine.
IRELAND: David Harte (GK) ( James Milliken GK 31′), Charlie Rowe, Luke Witherow, Kyle Marshall, Shane O’Donoghue, Sean Murray (capt.), Peter McKibbin, Jeremy Duncan, Benjamin Walker, Sam Hyland, Ben Johnson SUBS: John McKee, Jonathan Lynch, Lee Cole, Conor Empey, Nicholas Page
PORTUGAL: Balthazar Portugal (GK), David Franco, Diogo Rocha, Aidan Fourie, Rodrigo Castro Ivo Moreira, Tiago Ventosa, Rodrigo Rebelo, Afonso Caramalho, Bartolomeu Portugal, José Santos SUBS USED: Helder Goncalves, Tomas Teixera, Simao Pinheiro, Joao Basilia, Santos Ferreira
POOL B
SCOTLAND 10 TURKIYE 0
Struan Walker scored from open play in the second minute to give Scotland a 1-0 lead.
Alan Forsyth added another to make it 2-0 in the 6th minute. And added a third from a penalty stroke in the 21st minute. Struan Walker got his second of the game to make it 4-0 on 23 minutes. Alan Forsyth made it 5-0 a minute later and added a penalty corner for 6-0 in 39th minute. Jamie Golden added a 41st minute penalty corner to make it 7-0. He added two further goals in the 54th minute to make it 9-0. Alan Forsyth scored the final goal of the match on 56 minutes to make it 10-0 and clinch second spot in Pool B.
SWITZERLAND 1 ITALY 2
Italy clinched the Pool B top spot with their third win of the campaign beating Switzerland 2-1.
Marco Moretto gave Italy the lead with a goal from open play in the 12th minute.
A field goal from Felix Dionisi Vici in the 47th minute left the Azzuri leading 2-0.
Loris Grandchamp converted a penalty corner in the 56th minute to give the Swiss a consolation goal it finished 2-1 to Italy. Italy will face Ukraine in the first semi -final on Friday afternoon
