Ireland to face down India for a second time in World Cup quarter-final

Ireland will hope to reprise their memorable group stage win over India on Thursday evening after the Asian side swept into the quarter-finals of the World Cup with the minimum of fuss.

They won 3-0, showing a clean pair of heels to an Italian side whose post-match interviews suggested they were just thrilled to have reached that stage and played in a manner to match.

As such, it means Ireland have very much a known opponent. Graham Shaw’s side are lower ranked on the world list but have a strong record in this match-up, never losing in tournament play.

Indeed, two of their most famous results have come against this opposition, their 2-1 success last summer in Johannesburg earning qualification in the first place and then last week’s 1-0 win that secured the quarter-final berth.

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However, the result on Tuesday night showed a more ruthless streak while the Indians also held the stronger offensive stats from the first game, meaning there is plenty of work to be done in the rematch.

The penalty corner count is a definite concern with 21 conceded in the last two games. While the defensive work of goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran and the number one runners has been superb, it has invited too many chances for comfort.

The match will also take place at a different time than originally allotted, moving from 8.15pm to 6pm at the behest of BT Sport. The switch allows England to take the primetime slot when they take on the Netherlands in a repeat of the 2016 Olympic final. RTÉ are set to show the match live.

Originally, the tournament schedule was set-up in anticipation of the English following ranking and taking their place in the quarter-finals as Pool B winners before Ireland upset the apple-cart.

The change of schedule is a regular occurrence in hockey as host broadcasters – in the tournament rules – hold the right to change games to suit.

But the frustration is that this change was not flagged to the wider public until the Irish Times contacted the FIH on Tuesday afternoon.

They confirmed that should England win their game with Korea – they duly did 2-0 – then they would take the second game on Thursday’s schedule.

Given Ireland had their ticket stamped for the quarter-final five days ago, there is frustration that this was not flagged publicly sooner.

It has left a number of friends and family members of the team frustrated that the mid-afternoon flights and tickets they booked in the interim are set to be rendered null and void.

WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINALS

WEDNESDAY
QF1: Germany v Spain, 6.0
QF2: Australia v Argentina, 8.15

THURSDAY
QF3: Ireland v India, 6.0
QF4: England v Netherlands

SEMI-FINALS
SATURDAY
Winner QF4 v Winners QF2, 2.0
Winner QF3 v Winner QF 1, 4.30

FINAL
Bronze medal match, 2.0
Gold medal match, 4.30