Great Britain hand Ireland fourth successive defeat as Pro League relegation confirmed

This was another testing evening for the Green Machine on a day when Pro League relegation was also confirmed.

With Spain beating Germany earlier in the day, Ireland’s hopes of survival in their first season in the top-tier ended before GB triumphed 3-0 to further underline their Olympic title credentials next month.

Ireland’s Ben Johnson said: “It’s been a really tough block compared to India and Antwerp where we had a bit more success in terms of results. We grew into the games here and we will take that into Paris.”

In an opening quarter dominated by GB, Shane O’Donoghue’s opening penalty corner saw Toby Reynolds-Cotterill force a reactionary save which then deflected off the crossbar.

Three minutes before the end of the first quarter, Ireland stopper Jamie Carr again had to block, but this time his left boot clearance found Sam Ward, who slammed a forehand into the backboards.

Two minutes later GB mis-trapped another penalty corner chance, but the ball slipped to Phil Roper, who flicked home past Carr.

Midway through the second quarter, Zach Wallace pushed into a crowded circle and Ward directed past Carr.

In a tight final two quarters, Ireland were denied a first goal in three matches after a late penalty corner was overruled.

Meanwhile, Ireland women took a huge step towards a possible place in next year’s Women’s Pro League in beating Korea 4-0.

They will play New Zealand in the Nations Cup semi-finals on Saturday.