Ireland come up just short as Spain end World Cup bid
Ireland's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup were dashed following a 3-1 defeat to Spain in Belgium. Despite a competitive performance, two late goals from Marc Reyne secured the victory for the Spanish side.
Why it matters
The result significantly impacts the international standing and tournament progression for both the Irish and Spanish national hockey teams.
A ruthless final quarter from Spain ended Ireland's World Cup hopes following a 3-1 defeat in Belgium.
A draw was all Mark Tumilty's side needed to keep their tournament hopes alive and things looked to be going to plan for long periods.
But a brace of goals from Marc Reyne in the last quarter against a tiring Irish outfit was enough for the Spanish to leapfrog the Green Machine into second place in Pool C.
Spain, sixth in the world, knew they had to win to go through and they burst out of the blocks at the Belfius Hockey Arena.
Their early pressure was rewarded when Nicolas Alvarez poked home the game's opening goal after nine minutes, although Tumilty would have been frustrated with how his team let their opponents in.
The heads didn't drop, however, and Ireland were regularly probing into the Spanish half.
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