Gallant Irish chase bronze in EuroHockey semi final as Dutch edge home

EuroHockey Championships semi-final: Netherlands 1, Ireland 0

Ireland again proved they can mix it with world hockey’s best but fell just short in the Unibet EuroHockey Championships semi-final against the Netherlands in London yesterday.

Having ousted world number four Belgium in the pool stages to make the last four of European hockey’s showpiece tournament for the first time, a first competitive victory against the second-ranked Dutch - who have yet to concede a goal at this tournament - was expected to be a bridge too far.