Ireland finally off the mark in Pro League with win away to world number two Belgium
IRELAND MEN'S HOCKEY team picked up their first win of the 2024/25 FIH Pro League, beating world number two Belgium 3-2 in Antwerp.
Jaime Carr's penalty save ensured the sides remained level at 0-0 going into the break, before Louis Rowe put Ireland ahead in the third quarter. A Lee Cole penalty corner doubled Ireland's advantage before the next break.
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Belgium pulled a goal back through Nicolas De Kerpel and from there they piled on the pressure, but with two minutes remaining, an Irish counter ended with another penalty corner, which Cole again swept to the net.
Thomas Crols bagged a late consolation for Belgium, but Ireland held on for their first victory in their 12th league game of the campaign.
It was an admirable bounce back from Ireland against a side to whom they lost 5-1 yesterday.
'It was nice to bounce back after yesterday, we were very disappointed as a team', said Irish 'keeper Carr.
'I was happy to contribute a little bit to that. Defensively that was a much better performance, and where we wanted to be.
'They are still top quality so it's nice to get a win over a team like that. We beat Belgium twice [in Antwerp] last year, but we have been struggling to get over the line this year. It's nice to get a win on the board.'
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