IRISH SHOCK TROOPS REACH FINAL
Head coach Graham Shaw hailed the “character and belief” of his Ireland side after upsetting Spain to reach the final of the Hockey World Cup.
After a 1-1 draw at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, Ireland won the shootout 3-2.
Ireland have been the surprise package of the tournament after going in as the second lowest-ranked team and then topping a group containing hosts England and India.
“This performance was testament to the character and belief in our team,” said Shaw.
“It was warm out there, and I thought we looked the stronger side in the final minutes.”
Ireland made a dream start with Anna O’flanagan touching in a penalty corner after only three minutes.
But Spain began to exert some concerted pressure and Alicia Magaz equalised nine minutes into the third quarter.
Ireland’s second successive shoot-out following their quarter-final victory over India saw Gillian Pinder score twice as the contest went to sudden death.
Ireland will play defending champions Netherlands in today’s final. The seven-time winners beat Australia 3-1 in a shootout after the second semi-final ended in a 1-1 draw.