Ireland beat Poland in Champions Challenge quarter-final

Ireland progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions Challenge 1 tournament in Argentina as they eased past Poland 4-0 on Thursday.

Brilliant goalkeeping by Poland's Arkadiusz Matuszak kept the game goalless in the first half.

However, Michael Watt put the Irish ahead after the break and two Conor Harte goals put them in total control.

Shane O'Donoghue struck Ireland's fourth goal as they earned a second straight win in the competition.

The Irish bounced back from opening defeats by Argentina and Japan to beat South Africa 3-1 on Tuesday and they produced another winning performance on Thursday.

Matuszak denied Peter Caruth, Watt and O'Donoghue in the first half although David Harte, making his 100th appearance for his country, also had to make a couple of smart saves at the other end before the interval.

Ireland coach Andrew Meredith praised his players for producing a "great result after a frustrating first half.

"It was good to see after a much more clinical performance in the last third that we were able to convert our authority in the scoreboard," said Meredith.

The Irish will face either Argentina in Saturday's semi-final after the hosts defeated Canada 5-1 on Thursday night.