Ireland 2-1 New Zealand
Ireland ended their Olympic Games on a high after coming from behind to beat a stubborn New Zealand side and pick up their first win of the campaign.
Mark Tumilty's side went into the match having lost four consecutive games in Pool B - the last of which was a 2-1 defeat to Argentina on Thursday that ended their quarter-final hopes.
New Zealand also came into the game pointless, but pride as well as a possible step up in the world rankings were still on the line.
It was the Kiwis who took the lead in the fifth minute through Joe Morrison, who deflected a cross by Isaac Houlbrooke past David Harte from open play.
However, in the 12th minute, Ireland equalised with their first field goal of the tournament. Ben Walker shot past Dominic Dixon having intercepted a pass in the semi-circle.
One minute into the second-half Ireland took the lead. A Daragh Walsh pass found Jeremy Duncan unmarked inside the semi-circle and he made no mistake in rifling it past Dixon.
Jeremy Duncan powered home the winner for Ireland as they finished their Olympics with a 2-1 win over New Zealand in the final group game#RTESport #Paris2024 #hockey
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 2, 2024
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New Zealand piled on the pressure in the final quarter with Harte coming to Ireland's rescue on a number of occassions to maintain the narrow advantage.
Harte's stops combined with a number of Duncan's blocks ensured Ireland saw out the victory.
This win not only secured Ireland fifth place in the pool but also a place in the top ten world rankings.
"It was nice to get a result. We've been close all week and probably frustrated yesterday," Tumilty said after the game.
"But we asked the lads to show a bit of character today and I know we didn't start the game very well but I thought after that we definitely did lots of good things.
"David Harte offers that extra bit of safety there and I thought he was excellent today. He has been superb throughout the tournament."
