Great Britain captain Kate Walsh shows her disappointment

Britain, the event's top-ranked side, fell behind when Jin Kyoung Kim deflected in a driven pass and Jeong Sook Park's second ended their hopes.

Both teams finished with 10 players, but despite the numbers evening out, Britain could not find a way back.

Ireland saw their dreams ended by a 2-1 extra-time loss to the United States.

Eimar Cregan's penalty corner put Ireland level after Kristen McCann had opened the scoring for the United States, and Ireland's Lynsey McVickers came within inches of snatching a last-minute winner.

At no time did I ever contemplate we wouldn't qualify for the Olympics GB coach Tricia Heberle

But Tracey Fuchs' goal from a penalty corner saw the Americans progress to a play-off with Korea for the final place in the Olympic hockey tournament.

Whilst Ireland kept their pride intact as they went down to defeat, their reaction contrasted sharply with that of the British team when they realised their chances of going to Athens had disappeared.

Their players were inconsolable, and coach Tricia Heberle said that she was "devastated" by the result.

"This is the biggest disappointment of my career, absolutely," she said.

"At no time in the last three years - let alone the last two-and-a-half weeks - did I ever contemplate we wouldn't qualify for the Olympics.

"I was invested with the job in respect of England and Great Britain and I am expected to deliver so on a personal basis I am a failure.

"I have a sense of accountability for this whether I like it or not. I had a job to do and I failed.

"If they (the players) weren't very good then your expectations would be less but we have actually got some very talented players here that haven't produced.

"If that is about me then fine but if it is also about them then that has to be addressed as well."

The squad now face Ireland in Saturday's seventh-place play-off match, but it will mean little to them now the big prize has slipped from their grasp.