Another Olympic dream dies for Ireland

Gene Muller offered no excuses as a second Irish Olympic hockey dream went up in smoke within seven days when Belgium proved an all-round superior force in Kontich yesterday.

While the men went right down to the wire, this tie had little tension to it, Sofie Gierts killing it off with a stunning hat-trick inside 19 minutes.

From there, the remaining 50 minutes was a physical battle but Ireland’s inability to score from penalty corners – bar Audrey O’Flynn’s eighth of the tournament in the 57th minute – meant there was never any drama.