THE IRELAND MEN’S hockey team have been defeated by reigning Olympic champions Belgium in their Group B opener at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Paris.
Goals from Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx sealed the win for Belgium while Ireland goalkeeper Davey Harte produced a number of crucial saves as part of a gutsy defensive performance.
Boon gave Belgium the lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter before Hendrickx added the second goal with a dragflick from a penalty corner in the fourth quarter.
Along with the defending Olympic champions, Group B also contains Tokyo silver medalists Australia and India, who were the bronze-medal winners in 2021. Argentina and New Zealand complete the group, with four teams progressing to the quarter-finals.
“Incredibly proud of the performance,” Harte told RTÉ Sport after the game. “They’re the world number three side for a reason and we knew coming into this game, despite having two good results back in the summer, that this would be a different task [FIH Pro League]. Just incredibly proud of the effort that we put in.
“We did get opportunities. We got a few corners but realistically, we were just living off too many scraps. And if we had held possession better, especially inside their 23, we might have at least come away with a goal or two.”
Related Reads
The fall and rise of an Olympic prodigy reared in Ireland's Fittest Family
Olympic Breakfast: Rhys McClenaghan among the Irish in action on Day One in Paris
Paris redeem grey start to their opening ceremony with audacious, genius finale
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Ireland lose out to reigning Olympic champions Belgium in Paris opener
Ireland 0
Belgium 2
THE IRELAND MEN’S hockey team have been defeated by reigning Olympic champions Belgium in their Group B opener at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Paris.
Goals from Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx sealed the win for Belgium while Ireland goalkeeper Davey Harte produced a number of crucial saves as part of a gutsy defensive performance.
Boon gave Belgium the lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter before Hendrickx added the second goal with a dragflick from a penalty corner in the fourth quarter.
Along with the defending Olympic champions, Group B also contains Tokyo silver medalists Australia and India, who were the bronze-medal winners in 2021. Argentina and New Zealand complete the group, with four teams progressing to the quarter-finals.
Ireland will face Australia next.
“Incredibly proud of the performance,” Harte told RTÉ Sport after the game. “They’re the world number three side for a reason and we knew coming into this game, despite having two good results back in the summer, that this would be a different task [FIH Pro League]. Just incredibly proud of the effort that we put in.
“We did get opportunities. We got a few corners but realistically, we were just living off too many scraps. And if we had held possession better, especially inside their 23, we might have at least come away with a goal or two.”
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
2024 Olympics Belgium Hockey Ireland Hockey Olympics Paris 2024 Tough Start