Great Britain hockey men’s captain Adam Dixon likened the atmosphere at the Twickenham Stoop to a World Cup as his team beat New Zealand 2-0 to qualify for the FIH Pro League Grand Finals.
The GB men needed a win order to secure a top-four finish in the inaugural FIH Pro League season and raced into an early lead through Chris Griffiths.
Danny Kerr’s side could have doubled their lead on more than one occasion but eventually sealed a 2-0 victory when Alan Forsyth steered home to the delight of 12,000 strong London crowd.
"It felt great to go out in front of that crowd. It felt like a World Cup in the Netherlands or something. It felt different to the games we normally play,” said Dixon.
"To see so many people wearing red and white and cheering when we attacked was great, made it feel a bit more real. It was amazing."
“We're really happy. It's a massive pay-off for the last six months.
"It's been quite tiring and quite taxing, so to be in there competing for medals rather than fifth or sixth place is really great for us. We'll quickly put this game to bed and look forward to next weekend.”
Great Britain will now face Australia on June 28 for the semi-final in Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, the GB women matched the men in the second game at The Stoop, beating New Zealand 3-1 with a brace from Lily Owsley and one goal for Hannah Martin.