Ireland come from behind to down Czech Republic in Euro Hockey II opener
A brace of goals each from Johnny McKee and Lee Cole, with Matthew Nelson nabbing the other, gave Ireland the victory after the Czechs had led by two goals twice in the match.
After a bright start, Czech Republic scored goals in the first and second quarter before Johnny McKee got Ireland off the mark after great build-up play by Daragh Walsh.
Czech Republic restored their two-goal advantage early in the third quarter but Ireland responded well as McKee scored his second shortly afterwards.
McKee was busy as he earned Ireland a penalty which Lee Cole scored to draw the sides level, and the Green Machine were ahead for the first time when Matthew Nelson flicked home Sean Murray's pass.
Another Lee Cole penalty pushed the gap to two with Ireland looking more likely to add a sixth than concede a fourth in the closing moments.
Ireland will be back in action against Italy on Tuesday before concluding their Pool A campaign the following day against hosts Portugal, with the top two sides earning a place in Friday's semi-finals.
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RTÉ News
16 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland defeat Scotland to secure promotion to Europe's topflight and a place in the World Cup Qualifiers.
The Ireland Men's Hockey Team secured a confident 3-1 win over Scotland in their EuroHockey Championship II Semi-Final in Portugal this afternoon. A Lee Cole dragflick set Ireland on their way before a Louis Rowe brace put daylight between the teams. The win sees Ireland progress to tomorrow's EuroHockey Championship II Final against Wales, as they look to retain their 2023 title, while also guaranteeing them promotion to the EuroHockey Championships in 2027 and a place at the 2026 FIH World Cup Qualifiers. A strong start from Ireland saw them challenge the Scottish defence early in the game with Matthew Nelson testing Scottish goalkeeper Calum Douglas early before a penalty corner eventually materialising from the rebound that followed. Ireland's first effort resulted in a re-award, with Lee Cole finding the net with a dragflick on his 149th appearance to give Ireland an early lead. Ireland almost doubled their lead in the closing minutes of the first quarter when Louis Rowe got on the end of an excellent run and delivery from Jonny Lynch, but his shot was just wide of the post. A shift in the press from Scotland in the second quarter saw them enjoy more possession and apply more pressure, eventually winning them a penalty corner after 23 minutes. Jaime Carr was, however, on hand to palm away the attempt on goal that resulted to maintain Ireland's lead. Ireland manufactured their best chance of the third quarter when Louis Rowe won a penalty corner, deflecting the ball onto a Scottish foot following a good delivery from the baseline by Fergus Gibson. Rowe was the option from the penalty corner; his initial effort was blocked by the Scottish runner, but the Banbridge forward was alive to the free ball and slapped it calmly past Douglas to give Ireland a 2-0 lead. Momentum now with them in the final minutes of the third quarter, Ireland attacked with purpose. Jonny Lynch beat his opposite number well to make his way to the baseline and find Adam McAllister whose effort on goal was deflected over the Scottish keeper and into the net to extend Ireland's lead to three at the end of the third quarter. Scotland, however, were not down and out. An early goal a minute into the final quarter from Robert Field kept their hopes of a comeback alive. Ireland quickly quelled the Scottish momentum, pinning the opposition back and running down the clock to hold onto their 3-1 win. Speaking after the game, head coach Mark Tumilty said, "the goals this week were to get back to the EuroHockey Championships and make the World Cup Qualifiers. Now we have one more since we have made the final; to go out and win it." The win sees Ireland progress to tomorrow's final where they will face Wales at 4pm Irish Time (live on EuroHockey TV).
Irish Independent
17 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland through to final of EuroHockey Championship II after confident win over Scotland
A Lee Cole dragflick set Ireland on their way before a Louis Rowe brace put daylight between the team in green and Scotland. The win sees Ireland progress to tomorrow's EuroHockey Championship II final against Wales, as they look to retain their 2023 title, while also guaranteeing them promotion to the EuroHockey Championships in 2027 and a place at the 2026 FIH World Cup qualifiers. A strong start from Ireland saw them challenge the Scottish defence early in the game, Matthew Nelson testing Scottish goalkeeper Calum Douglas early, with a penalty corner eventually materialising from the rebound that followed. Ireland's first effort resulted in a re-award, with Lee Cole finding the net with a dragflick on his 149th appearance to give Ireland an early lead. Ireland's pressure continued, with Matthew Nelson winning another penalty corner for Ireland which Scotland ran down well. Ireland almost doubled their lead in the closing minutes of the first quarter when Louis Rowe got on the end of an excellent run and delivery from Jonny Lynch, but his shot was just wide of the post. A shift in the press from Scotland in the second quarter saw them enjoy more possession and apply more pressure, eventually winning them a penalty corner after 23 minutes. Jaime Carr was, however, on hand to palm away the attempt on goal that resulted to maintain Ireland's lead. Ireland continued to absorb Scottish pressure late into the first-half, with Carr called into action in the final seconds as Ireland maintained their lead. Ireland dominated possession in the opening five minutes of the second half, but efforts to find a second goal proved elusive. Ireland manufactured their past chance of the third quarter when Louis Rowe won a penalty corner, deflecting the ball onto a Scottish foot following a good delivery from the baseline by Fergus Gibson. Rowe was the option from the penalty corner; his initial effort was blocked by the Scottish runner, but the Banbridge forward was alive to the free ball and slapped it calmly past Douglas to give Ireland a 2-0 lead. Momentum now with them in the final minutes of the third quarter, Ireland attacked with purpose down the right. Jonny Lynch beat his opposite number well to make his way to the baseline and find Adam McAllister whose effort on goal was deflected over the Scottish keeper and into the net to extend Ireland's lead to three at the end of the third quarter. Scotland, however, were not down and out. An early goal a minute into the final quarter from Robert Field kept their hopes of a comeback alive. Ireland quickly quelled the Scottish momentum, pinning their opposition back and eventually winning a penalty corner for a strong tackle on Jeremy Duncan on the edge of the circle. Lee Cole's effort from the corner went just wide of the right post. Ireland ran down the clock well to hold onto their 3-1 win. Speaking after the game, head coach Mark Tumilty said: 'The goals this week were to get back to the EuroHockey Championships and make the World Cup qualifiers. Now we have one more since we have made the final – to go out and win it.' Speaking ahead of tomorrow's final against Wales, Tumilty said: 'The main targets have been achieved, but a win in tomorrow's final against Wales matters not only in terms of winning a trophy, but in protecting ranking points. It could be vital in future tournaments if we reach knock out stages, for example.' Discussing the importance of promotion back to the EuroHockey Championships, Tumilty said: 'We haven't played in the top division since 2019. Most of the current players have never played at that level. 'First we work towards the World Cup qualifiers next year. We have a lot of work to do ahead of those qualifiers.' Ireland now face Wales in the EuroHockey Championship II decider on Saturday (4pm Irish time) and the game will be available to watch live on EuroHockey TV.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland on cloud nine with big pool win over Portugal in EuroHockey Championship
Mark McNellis and Fergus Gibson both got on the scoresheets to open their senior international accounts, with Louis Rowe bagging a brace, and Ben Nelson, Jonny Lynch, Lee Cole, Seán Murray, and Jeremy Duncan also finding the net in Ireland's 9-0 victory. The win secures top spot in Pool A, setting up a semi-final against Scotland on Friday August 1 at 5pm Irish time. Aware of their opportunity to top their pool with maximum points, Ireland began the game brightly, continuing their domination of possession from previous games. Two great chances fell for Jeremy Duncan early on, with Portuguese goalkeeper alive to both to keep the game scoreless. Ireland broke the deadlock in the tenth minute from a penalty corner won by Matthew Nelson. Louis Rowe's initial effort was saved, but Mark McNellis met the rebound to fire into the net to score his first senior international goal. Ben Nelson almost added a second for Ireland as he tried to deflect the ball under Carlos Pedro after an excellent counter-attack, but the keeper was again alive to the effort to clear. Ireland almost made the perfect start to the second quarter when Lee Cole won the ball on the left flank and threw an aerial to Matthew Nelson who was free in the circle, but the Lisnagarvey forward's shot was just wide of the post. Fergus Gibson added Ireland's second with six minutes left in the first-half, getting on the end of an excellent delivery from Ben Nelson to extend Ireland's lead to 2-0. Ireland added two more goals in the minutes that followed, Ben Nelson firing in on his reverse, followed by a tidy Louis Rowe finish to extend the lead to four goals, a lead Ireland held going into the break. Ireland picked up from where they left off with Jonny Lynch weaving his way along the baseline and finding the net from a tight angle for Ireland's fifth. Louis Rowe got his second of the game, and Ireland's sixth not long after when he was found in acres of space on the penalty spot, giving him the time to calmly flick into the net. Lee Cole added a seventh from a penalty corner before the end of the third quarter, scoring his third of the competition. Ireland closed out the game with two more goals. Seán Murray grabbed Ireland's eighth from a penalty corner, before Jeremy Duncan added the team's ninth, finishing off a great attacking move down the right-hand side. Speaking after the match, Ireland head coach Mark Tumilty said: 'We set the team the task of improving the standard of play with the ball. They got off to an early start with a goal. It was great to see some good team goals being scored. Discussing their semi-final opposition, Tumilty said: 'It's going to be tough, and there is still lots to come in order for us to achieve our goals of reaching the final of this tournament and making the 2027 EuroHockey Championships, and getting a place in the FIH World Cup Qualifiers. We'll pay Scotland the utmost respect.' Ireland end the pool stages of the EuroHockey Championship II top of Pool A with the maximum of nine points. The side will progress to the semi-finals on Friday August 1 at 5pm Irish time where they will face Scotland. A win would see the side guarantee promotion to the EuroHockey Championships in 2027 and a place at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup qualifiers.
