EuroHockey 2017: England beat lreland 2-1 to reach semi-finals

England's Sam Ward (left) netted his third goal of the tournament

England came from behind to beat Ireland 2-1 and qualify for the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Championships.

Ireland needed a draw to go through and Matthew Nelson deflected in a penalty corner to put them ahead in Amsterdam.

But England were level after half-time through David Goodfield, before Sam Ward netted the winner with Ireland's Shane O'Donoghue in the sin bin.

Ireland's defeat means England now face the Netherlands while Germany, who beat Poland 7-3, will meet Belgium.

Both men's semi-finals will take place on Friday.

• Eurohockey 2017: Men's and women's fixtures and results

• England women looking to avoid penalties against Netherlands

England and Ireland last met at the EuroHockey Championships in London two years ago when Ireland won 4-2 in the bronze medal play-off.

The men in green, ranked 10th in the world, looked on course for a second upset when they took the lead in the 13th minute against world number seven side England.

But England staged a remarkable second-half comeback to take their place in the last four.

They equalised only a minute into the third quarter as Goodfield fired in from close range past Ireland goalkeeper David Harte.

And with O'Donoghue off the field for 10 minutes for an elbow, centre-forward Ward beat Harte again to tap in from close range.

The result means England finish as runners-up in Pool B behind Germany.

England's women also face the Netherlands in their semi-final on Thursday (19:00 BST), having finished top of their pool.