World League 2: Ireland beat Italy 1-0 to make quarter-finals

Matthew Nelson scored the only goal in the second quarter as Ireland beat Italy 1-0 at Stormont on Tuesday to make the World League 2 quarter-finals.

The victory saw Craig Fulton's side emerge top of Pool A in the tournament, having also defeated Ukraine and then Austria in a penalty shoot-out.

The Irish will now face Poland in the last eight on Thursday.

Ireland need to overcome the Poles and win their semi-final to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive.

The host nation began their campaign with a thumping 9-2 win in their opening fixture of the competition on Saturday, then saw off the Austrians 4-2 in a penalty shootout after their match ended 1-1.

The Irish men are the highest ranked team in the tournament and a top-three finish would be enough to qualify for the World League semi-finals in the summer.