Tokyo Olympics: Ireland quarter-final hopes suffer setback with 1-0 defeat by India
- Published
Ireland's Chloe Watkins in action against Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam of India
Ireland's hopes of making the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo suffered a significant setback as they lost 1-0 to India in Pool A on Friday.
The heroics of Ireland goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran helped keep India at bay for most of the game.
A late 57th-minute goal from Navneet Kaur three earned India their win.
Ireland must match India's result against South Africa when they play Great Britain in their final group game if they are to make the last eight.
Both games will take place on Saturday with India facing South Africa first, then Ireland taking on GB at 12:45 BST.
Ireland lie fourth in their group on three points after their defeat at the Oi Stadium, with India fifth on the same points but behind on goal difference.
Ireland defeated South Africa in their opener, before losing to the Netherlands and Germany.
Great Britain's men, who include Northern Irishmen David Ames and Ian Sloan, drew 2-2 with Belgium in their game on Friday to set-up a quarter-final with India on Sunday. The GB men had already secured a quarter-finals spot prior to Friday's game.
The start of Ireland women's match with India was delayed by an hour, to 04:45 BST, because of a torrential downpour which left the pitch flooded.
Sean Dancer's side defended resolutely but just as a vital draw looked to be on the cards, India scored their winner.
Navneet Kaur's deflection from Rani Rampal's reverse-stick cross finally broke the Irish defences as India were eventually rewarded for controlling large spells of the game.
'We have to park this pretty quick'
Deirdre Duke, who won her 150th cap, commented after the game: ""That was a game that we needed to win and we didn't so that's my overwhelming feeling.
"Quick turnaround tomorrow. Depending on other results now, that quarter final spot is still up for grabs, so we're going to have to park this pretty quick and get ourselves up for a big one tomorrow.
"We win as a team and we lose as a team. We are going to have to regroup and take a look at ourselves individually but it is always a collective effort and we always rally together."
Resolute Ireland defence
Ireland were penned back for long periods of the first quarter as the Indians - gunning for revenge for their 2018 World Cup quarter-final elimination - burst into life from the start.
Outstanding penalty corner running from the likes of Sarah Torrans and Katie Mullan charged down the majority of chances from the set piece.
Navneet Kaur and Neha both tested McFerran's pads from play while Ireland's big moment was a break-out which ended with Duke seeing her strike well blocked.
Quarter two saw Ireland grasp a measure of control, picking up a couple of corners and Anna O'Flanagan's bullet of a shot excellently padded away by Savita.
A sequence of five more India corners closed out the first half but with no tangible benefit on the scoreboard as McFerran and Róisín Upton batted away the chances.
And they carried that flow of corners into the second half. Navneet Kaur contrived to miss two huge chances, one from their 13th corner when she swept into the outer boarding of the goal, the next a deflection from Lalremsiami's clever under the arm pass.
As time wore on, with Nicci Daly getting more and more onto the ball, Ireland carved out more meaningful chances.
Again, O'Flanagan's rising shot was saved by Savita and, with five minutes to go, the pair showed down again, the goalkeeper again doing enough to palm out of reach of the rebounding Duke.
Ireland: A McFerran, S McAuley, H McLoughlin, R Upton, L Tice, C Watkins, K Mullan, A O'Flanagan, S Hawkshaw, D Duke, S Torrans
Subs: S McCay, H Matthews, L Holden, N Carroll, N Daly