Hockey: Ashleigh Ball puts Team GB on track for last four

Ashleigh Ball of Great Britain and team mate Anne Panter celebrate scoring a goal (GETTY IMAGES)

Great Britain women's midfielder Ashleigh Ball described her debut Olympic goal as "phenomenal" as she put her side on the road to a 3-0 victory against Belgium at the Riverbank Arena and within touching distance of the semi-finals.

The 26-year-old made a crucial breakthrough two minutes before half-time.

Scotland's Laura Bartlett added the second, also her first in the Games, just after the break and Crista Cullen powered home a late penalty corner. Cullen said: "It was phenomenal. The noise in the stadium was unbelievable. I think the corner scorers are always going to have slightly more chances than everyone else but the strengths of this team are that we believe in each other and we have all shown why we are here and everyone is capable of scoring goals.

"I think with our first-half performance we were lucky to go in 1-0 up but the second half we showed our character and belief and gave a better performance."

The result means GB need only a point against China tomorrow to qualify for the semi-finals with a match to spare.