Typical 'Irish dogged performance' books Olympic spot for Ireland Men's Hockey team

PARIS HERE WE COME: The Ireland team celebrate qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Pic Credit: Frank Uijlenbroek, Inpho.
âWhere do you start?â quipped David Harte.
The Cork goalkeeper ran through the emotions last night after Ireland men secured their first Olympic Games berth for eight years. It followed a quite pulsating, end-to-end encounter as Ireland prevailed 4-3 over a determined and thoroughly spirited Korea side.
Ireland twice held two-goal cushions in this win or bust denouement. But Korea were no strangers to fightbacks in this FIH Olympic qualifying tournament and the Green Machine had to withstand 40 minutes of Korean counter-punching and crash balls before Ireland consigned their 2019 qualifier controversy to history.
âIt typified an Irish dogged performance, grinding it out, making it tough on ourselves sometimes but getting over the line,â said Harte.
âItâs a feeling that goes back to Canada and 2019, to those boys who were there and the release of emotion at the final whistle said it all.
âWe came out all guns blazing, played our best hockey of the tournament, scored some great goals and were unlucky again with goals against.
âEveryone put in a serious shift. For some players they have had a harder journey to get here but we all worked together and itâs an incredible feeling. We are off to Paris and itâs indescribable.âÂ
Matthew Nelson and Ben Johnson had given Ireland the lead inside the opening 20 minutes, while Korea twice rallied when 3-1 and 4-2 down. Irelandâs third and fourth goals, from John McKee and Shane O'Donogue, somehow kept Korea at bay as Mark Tumiltyâs side survived a barrage of circle chances with a shoot-out in sight.
The drama was unrelenting through the 60 minutes here. Ireland did indeed play their best hockey when it mattered, pre-planning before this week that their Olympic hopes might hinge on their fifth and final game. Sean Murray, Irelandâs captain, had an exceptional game, setting up two of Irelandâs goals, while there was also another battling defensive shift.
Kyle Marshall was forced off in the second quarter after his thumb was hit flush from a crash ball into the circle, during a period of five goals in 15 first-half minutes.
âKyleâs thumb exploding from that ball in the second quarter, those are the little details where guys sacrifice a lot on and off the pitch to make these moments really special,â Murray said later.

In amongst the physical battle, Ireland answered Mark Tumiltyâs calls for more open play goals with a sizzling attacking performance. The best goal, Irelandâs second, was made by Murray from the baseline after stealing the ball off Korea outside their 23m line. It ended with a superb reverse volley at the far post by Ben Johnson, his third of the week.
Korea scored from two of their five penalty corner chances, while their third came from a penalty stroke to set up a tension-filled final 20 minutes.
After Ireland successfully overturned a Korean goal, Harte then pulled off a wonder save to his left in the closing moments of the third quarter. Lee Nam Yong was then handed a 10-minute yellow card for misconduct in the Irish circle on the stroke of the hooter. It proved pivotal, the final quarter offering just enough respite for Ireland.
âThey kept coming back to us and it could have gone to shoot-outs at the end,â said Murray, awarded player-of-the-match.
âItâs been a stressful old time, the two weeks weâve been in Valencia feels like an eternity and to be ready for almost just this game.
âThe match was a bit of a blur but everyone just dug deep to get us over the line.â Twenty four hours earlier, Ireland women couldnât do the same in a match which also had one final ticket to Paris on offer.
Their shoot-out defeat to Spain left them facing the prospect of beating Great Britain for the first time this century. In the end, the Green Army lost 2-1.
They were outclassed in midfield by GB and Ireland couldnât find enough circle threats. Hannah McLoughlin scored on the final hooter from a penalty corner, their last strike coming all too late after a brief second-half rally.
Ireland captain Katie Mullan said: âWe came out all guns blazing and itâs so disappointing as the game was there for the taking. Itâs devastating.
âWe started this journey of a dream of going to Paris and itâs heartbreaking that it's not going to be our reality and our ending.
âItâs a huge positive for the group. To have shown up, itâs one of the privileges of high-performance sport. We definitely worked hard enough.â