England defeat Ireland in London Cup shootout
Last updated on .From the section Hockey
England edged out Ireland in the London Cup final with a penalty shootout victory after the game finished 2-2.
Alistair Brogdon gave the hosts an early lead at the Olympic Park but Eugene Magee levelled with a blistering strike a minute into the second half.
David Condon's deflected shot restored England's advantage only for Mitch Darling to equalise from an Alan Southern pass with a minute left.
England prevailed in the shootout, winning 4-2 to secure the trophy.
The decider was a much tighter encounter than Saturday's round robin game between the sides, which England won 4-1.
Brogdon scored a sixth-minute opener before Magee hit a bullet of a shot from the top of the circle to level.
| England keeper George Pinner |
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| "It's fun being in goal in a shootout. You can't lose really because the pressure's on the other players to score, so I enjoy it." |
Condon made it 2-1 on 49 minutes when his close-range strike deflected off an Irish stick before going in.
Darling popped up with a last-gasp equaliser, converting off a great baseline drive and reverse stick pass from Sothern.
In the shootout, England keeper George Pinner made two crucial saves to keep out Ireland's Michael Watt and Magee - while England's Ashley Jackson, captain Barry Middleton, Harry Martin and Simon Mantell all scored to win the cup.
Pinner said: "It's fun being in goal in a shootout. You can't lose really because the pressure's on the other players to score, so I enjoy it."
Ireland coach Craig Fulton said: "I am very proud of the performance and happy we got the score back to 2-2."
"I'm very excited to see some of the young talent on show but it's a pity we couldn't finish it off with a win."
Meanwhile, the Ireland women's team hammered Canada 5-0 in the Four Nations tournament in Dublin.
Deidre Duke bagged a double while Anna O'Flanagan, Cliodhna Sargent and Naomi Carroll were also on target.
