Ireland (Commonwealth) _Ireland advanced to the Paris Olympics. Four years after their disputed setback in Canada, the Green Machine won another epic end-to-end hockey game. Korea collapsed to their knees after giving their best at the last hooter. They have not qualified since London 2012, but they did give Ireland a match.
From 2-0 down, they rallied from 3-1 and 4-2 to set up a thrilling finish. They also had a goal disallowed, but they will regret their 10-minute yellow card at the conclusion of the third quarter. David Harte made several late sprawling stops, and Ireland’s defence once again shined. , Ireland’s captain Sean Murray grabbed the event with an outstanding performance. 4-3 was the final score. A shootout was denied.
Tumilty had mentioned that they had planned in advance to go to Game five. And that is how it turned out. What a game; what an approach to get to Paris. Not by a comeback, but by thwarting Korea’s 40-minute threats to take this to the 23-meter line.
Tumilty stated, “I’ve had some great times with Banbridge, but I’ve put in a lot of work with this group both on and off the pitch over the last four years.” Simply crossing the finish line is a relief. I never imagined I’d get the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics, let alone coach Ireland. It’s a great day.
Matthew Nelson and Ben Johnson gave Ireland the advantage in the first 20 minutes. But each time, Korea rallied. Goals by John McKee and then Shane O’Donogue extended Ireland’s lead as a counter-punching Korea struck back.
We wanted to play today, and I wasn’t keen to look back and regret not trying, Tumilty explained. I was happy with the offensive play, and our defense came through in the end. We played Japan, Spain, and now Korea, and we did not surrender in open play. They might be highly proud of their accomplishments.
The match’s outstanding goal was Ireland’s second. Murray grabbed a critical Korean ball inside the 23-meter line, darting into the circle before Ben Johnson, a late addition to the tournament roster, reversed on the volley from a tight angle. He raced away, arms out.
There were five goals in a thrilling 15-minute period in the first half. Shane O’Donoghue’s penalty corner at 4-2 had the flicker expert jump for joy. It was his first in the competition. Korea substituted goalie Kim for the last few minutes as Ireland held off a late bombardment on Harte’s goal. Tumilty’s forces, however, had everything working in their favor. He pushed for more open play goals and received them.
It represented an Irish stubborn effort, grinding it out, making it difficult for ourselves at times, but getting the job done, according to Harte. It’s an amazing sensation that takes you back to Canada and 2019 for those lads who were there, and the burst of emotion at the last whistle says it all.
We came out guns blazing, playing our best hockey of the tournament, got some terrific goals, and were unfortunate with goals against. But we’re headed to Paris, which is indescribable. Everyone worked a tough shift. Some players had a more difficult route to get here, but we all worked together, and the experience is great.
Besides to the goals, Korea had a second-half strike called out, and Harte made some spectacular saves. Kyle Marshall was also pulled out for the rest of the contest in the second quarter after suffering a blow to his thumb. Murray described the small aspects in which players make significant sacrifices both on and off the pitch in order to render these moments truly memorable.
They kept coming back at us, and it might have turned into shootouts in the end. We looked at this game, and it’s been a stressful old time; the two weeks we’ve spent in Valencia feel like an eternity, and we’ve spent practically all of it preparing for this game. The match went so quickly, but everyone worked hard to bring us over the finish line. It’s pretty unique.
