Ireland outclass France by 6-1 in the Four-Nation Tournament
Ireland continued their goal-scoring-streak by defeating France by 6-1 at the Four-Nation tournament which is being played at University College Dublin (UCD), in Dublin, Ireland, on June 22,
Ireland showed a much improved performance as compared to their previous game which they played against China.
“Offensively between the 23’s there was a marked improvement from Monday’s match and that gave us more control over the game for longer periods.” Revington, the coach of Ireland men’s hockey team, commented on the performance of his athletes after the match.
The Irish men totally controlled the entire match by scoring equal number of goals in each of the two halves. They put the ball into the French net thrice in both the periods, while France could only manage to score a single goal and that was in the ending
moments of the matches.
The Irish men maintained a healthy pressure on their opponents from the very start of the match and they scored their opening goal of the match in the second minute when Michael Darling made a wonderful strike on an open play that put them ahead of their
rivals. Ireland made a number of good attempts, but France defended their goal-post very well and did not let them do the damage. However, in the 28th minute, Ireland once again shattered the French defence line and entered in the circle, where
they earned a penalty-stroke, as a result of a foul from the French defender, to which John Jermyn did not commit any mistake in doubling his team’s tally. Five minutes before the end of first half the Irish men scored another goal, once again thanks to John
Jermyn. The first half ended at 3-0 to Ireland.
In the second half again it was Ireland who controlled the major share of the ball throughout the second half. The Irish scored the first goal of the second half in 42nd minute when Timothy Cockram scored his first of the match and fourth for
his team. In the 56th minute, Michael Darling made his second strike of the match while five minutes after the fifth goal, Michael Watt scored the final goal for the Irish team in 61st minute. France scored their solitary goal in the
65th minute and the match concluded at 6-1 to Ireland.
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