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Ireland qualify for World Cup in India
Ireland men's hockey team have confirmed their spot in the 2018 World Cup in India with a slender 1-0 win over New Zealand.
In what was a tense tie, it was smart build-up play from Chris Cargo who assisted Alan Sothern to get the crucial and deciding goal.
After a quiet first-half, New Zealand started to edge the balance of play and were denied the lead when David Harte produced a remarkable double save.
Despite the Black Sticks keeping Harte honest, they failed to conjure up a moment of magic as both sides struggled to find the first crucial goal.
But Ireland did get the breakthrough in the 49th minute as Sothern picked up a loose ball after a save from Devon Manchester, before the 29-year-old flicked the ball over the keeper and into the net.
Ireland were forced back in the later stages and held strong, booking their well-deserved spot for the World Cup in 2018.
Head coach Craig Fulton said: "It was a tight game and it could have gone either way.
"It was a win built on character and defence basically won us that game.
"We wanted to come away with qualification and that’s really pleasing from tonight, it was a great squad effort".
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