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Paul Gleghorne picked up a yellow card at the death just before his brother Mark fired in England's fourth goal off a PC to seal the fate of the Green Machine much to the chagrin of the large Irish contingent that had gathered at the Kalinga Stadium.
Mark refused to celebrate the goal, choosing instead of walk up to Paul's teammates and offer his commiserations to the Irish who amazed the hockey world with an enthralling show at the Odisha World Cup.
For all the brotherly camaraderie that the two sides displayed after the thrilling encounter, England and Ireland refused to give each other inch on the field of play, and put to rest theories that the two neighbors might conspire to play out a goalless draw, in which case the Chinese would have had to make an early exit.
The Irish who began ever so impressively, putting Australia to the test in their opener last week, might well have considered themselves worthy of a place in the knockouts - but China, the second-lowest-ranked side in the competition just about managed to advance even after being mauled 0-11 by Colin Batch's defending champions in the first match of the day.
England took the lead at the end of the first quarter through David Condon but Chris Cargo restored parity for the Irish just after half-time. A flurry of three quick goals in the space of two minutes then brought the crowd to their feet and England took the lead each time Ireland equalized.
For all their efforts towards the end, Alexander Cox's team failed to find a third goal and will now head home unlike the Irish girls who had made it all the way to the final of the Women's World Cup.
Let us take a look at 3 factors that may have been significant in determining the ultimate course of the match which ended with a 4-2 scoreline in England's favor.
#3 Ireland fail to get moving in the first half
England had more of the ball and did a lot more with it at the beginning of the match while the Irish lacked the hunger and the urgency to seize the initiative early.
The English strikers launched a series of attacks which pegged the Irish back while Alexander Cox's side had to patiently wait for their turn to enter the England circle.
While the English managed to fire in three shots on target in the first quarter and troubled the Irish's deep defence on seven occasions, the Green Machine failed to penetrate the English circle even once.
England was rewarded with an opening goal in the first quarter and when Ireland look back at the match, they will indeed wonder why they failed to get moving early.
#2 England score at will every time they need to
Danny Kerry's side played the match with varying degrees of pace and intensity based on what the situation demanded while the Irish were forced to play catch up at every stage.
For the first time in the competition, England looked reasonably assured and confident on the pitch which was evident in the manner in which they began the proceedings.
Liam Ansell was at his best in the do-or-die encounter providing the much-needed impetus up front but in spite of all their domination, England found the back of the net only once in the first half knowing well that the Irish had every chance of regaining their foothold.
Yet, quite inexplicably, Ansell gave England the lead a minute after Cargo had equalized for the Irish and James Gall did so immediately after Shane O'Donoghue had scored Ireland's second off a PC.
England's ability to be able to score when it mattered the most proved to be the difference between the two sides at the end of a keenly-contested match.
#1 Liam Ansell makes all the difference up front
The Irish forward-line lacked punch for the most part and failed to make their ball possession count while the English strikers continued to create chances and looked positively dangerous throughout the course of the match.
Liam Ansell, who flew in a last-minute replacement for Sam Ward has ensured by his exploits that England has not been in any way deficient as a result of the latter's absence.
Ansell was the livewire for Kerry's side, without any doubt whatsoever, probing the Irish defence with his searing runs and delivering vital through balls.
As a matter of fact, Ansell did not spend a great deal of time out in the center but was by far the most visible player and made every minute on the pitch count for his team.
The tomahawk which beat David Harte came at a vital time, and for the attempts on goal, and the PCs and chances he helped to create, the England camp need to thank Liam Ansell and hope that the 25-year-old striker continues to wreak havoc against the New Zealand Black Sticks in Monday's crossover.
Head to Sportskeeda to check out the schedule for the upcoming matches.
