Matthew Nelson scored the only goal in the second quarter of the match at Stormont.

As a result, Ireland finished in first place having also defeated both Ukraine and Austria earlier in the competition.

The Irish will now face Poland in the last eight on Thursday (March 16).

The most exciting match of the day was also in Pool A as Austria defeated Ukraine 4-2.

The Austrians opened the scoring after just 10 minutes through Robert Bele.

Ukraine responded well, however, and went ahead through efforts from Vitalii Kalinchuk and Bogdan Kovalenko.

Three goals in just five minutes from Austria won them the game, however.

Michael Korper scored an equaliser to level the match at 2-2 in the 23rd minute before Leon Thornblom put them ahead just a minute later.

Korper then secured the victory with his second of the match, giving a final score of 4-2 to the Austrians.

France were also victorious today as they defeated Wales to secure top spot in Pool B.

A single goal from Frenchman Blaise Rogeau in the ninth minute was enough to secure a narrow 1-0 win.

In the other match in Pool B today, Scotland claimed a 2-1 win over Poland after Alan Forsyth scored two goals.

Forsyth opened the scoring for the Scots after just two minutes before Poland's Dominik Kotulski levelled the match.

Doubling his tally for the match, Forsyth then scored the winner after 56 minutes.

Another rest day is scheduled for tomorrow in Belfast before the quarter-final matches take place on Thursday (March 16).

France meet Ukraine, Wales take on Italy while Scotland and Austria meet in the other last eight encounters.

Semi-finals then take centre stage on Saturday (March 18) before action concludes in Northern Ireland with the final on Sunday (March 19).

The top two from this event and the other men’s Round Two events in Dhaka and Tacarigua are certain to qualify for the Hockey World League semi-finals, where they will compete for a place at the 2018 World Cup.

They will be joined by the two highest ranked third placed finishers across the three competitions.

The Hockey World League will determine the teams who qualify for the 2018 Hockey World Cup alongside the five continental champions and the host country.

The 2018 women’s and men’s World Cups in England and India respectively will be the first competitions staged under the expanded 16-team format, with four groups of four, allowing the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to hold the event over 16 days.

It is designed to increase the amount of spectators for the FIH’s flagship quadrennial competition outside of the Olympic Games.