Fourth-ranked Netherlands’ organised effort helped it post an emphatic 5-1 win over Pakistan in its last Pool D match and secure a place in the crossovers of the Hockey World Cup here on Sunday.
Germany recorded a hard-fought 5-3 win over Malaysia to finish as the top-ranked side in the pool with nine points and take a berth in the quarterfinals. Netherlands was second with six points.
Pakistan, which was tied with Malaysia on one point, also managed to enter the crossovers with a better goal difference.
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The Dutch team will face Canada, while Pakistan will square off against Belgium in the crossovers on Tuesday.
Early lead
Netherlands relied on its fine distribution to enter the Pakistan circle frequently and jumped to an early lead when an excellent move by Thijs van Dam was finished well by an unmarked Thierry Brinkman.
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Pakistan replied quickly by winning three successive short corners. The third one yielded the equaliser through Umar Bhutta.
Netherlands showed better coordination to keep the pressure on Pakistan. One of the attempts surprised the gritty Pakistan defence as Valentin Verga shot from top of the circle following a build-up before the half-time.
The Oranje Machine struck again in the penultimate period when Jeroen Hertzberger, who received an aerial ball, passed it on to Bob de Voogd to widen the lead. Jorrit Croon and Mink van der Weerden completed the tally.
Germany, leading 4-3 after the third quarter, managed to thwart a spirited Malaysia, which got a couple of bookings but earned a penalty corner in the fourth period.
The results (Pool D):
Germany 5 (Timm Herzbruch 2, 59, Christopher Ruhr 14, 18, Marco Miltkau 39) bt Malaysia 3 (Razie Rahim 26, 42, Nabil Noor 28).
Netherlands 5 (Thierry Brinkman 7, Valentin Verga 27, Bob de Voogd 37, Jorrit Croon 47, Mink van der Weerden 59) bt Pakistan 1 (Umar Bhutta 9) .