EuroHockey Championship: England beat Ireland to boost World Cup hopes
- Published
Evans's two goals helped turned the match England's way
England came from a goal down to beat Ireland 5-1 at the EuroHockey Championships and keep their hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup alive.
Deirdre Duke's ninth-minute goal gave Ireland the lead in their Pool C meeting in Amsterdam.
But England piled on the pressure with Anna Toman levelling from a penalty corner before two Sarah Evans strikes before half-time put them in control.
Giselle Ansley added another before a late Jo Hunter goal.
Victory for England over Scotland on Saturday (17:45 BST) will secure fifth place at the tournament and a place at the World Cup.
Ireland are also chasing the fifth-place finish which would ensure World Cup qualification but now almost certainly will have to rely on the final eight-team qualifying event in October.
Only a heavy England defeat by Scotland and big Irish win over Italy in Saturday's concluding Group C games will see Sean Dancer's squad securing fifth spot.
It is the first time in 15 European Championships that England have finished outside the top four.
"I'm really pleased. We were hugely disappointed not to reach the semi-finals, but this one was a big one for us," said Toman. "Now we can look forward to playing Scotland."
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