The Indian men’s hockey team expectedly beat Ireland despite a few lapses in defence to more or less secure its passage into the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics, with skipper Harmanpreet scoring a brace in a 2-0 win in a Pool B match, here Tuesday.

Unlike the previous two matches, India penetrated the rival circle consistently and dictated play in the first half. It was expected, considering that Ireland were the easiest of the opponents in this pool.