Ireland lose to Australia on World Cup return

Matthew Nelson and Ali Empey celebrate Ireland’s goal [Getty Images]Ireland's first Men's Hockey World Cup game since 2018 ended in defeat as Australia ran out 3-1 winners in Sunday's pool C opener in Belgium. The damage was done in the first half when the world ranked number three side scored a trio of penalty corner goals, two from Joel Rintala and another from Blake Govers.Ireland fought back- after the interval, scoring through Ali Empey and creating enough chances only to be denied by