New Delhi: Netherlands were playing to consolidate their position at the top of Pool C and immediately showed that they meant business, calling Canadian goalkeeper Kevin Pereira into action and hitting the post in the first minute of play! Pereira was kept busy but once again showed his fine form.

The Netherlands opened their tally on a penalty-stroke in the 10th minute after a messy scramble in the Canadian goalmouth. The Dutch players were displaying their usual skills at speed but the Canadian defense maintained its compact structure and kept the Oranje forwards at bay until the 20th minute mark, when Rik Van Kan and Milan Van Baal scored two goals in quick succession.

The Netherlands were clearly dominating the proceedings. Kevin Pereira had to make several key saves but could not do much when three Dutch players arrived in front of him in the final minute of the period for a fourth goal by captain Roel Bovendeert.

Milan Van Baal scored the fifth Dutch goal in the 47th minute after a long run by Nicholas Leijs and a quick exchange of passes that mesmerized the Canadian defense. The Netherlands added a penalty-corner in the 57th minute by Tristan Algera and, despite the foregone conclusion, did not show any sign of slowing down, pressuring the tiring and dispirited Canadians until the end.

The Netherlands finished undefeated in Pool C and will meet New Zealand in quarter-final, while Canada will play Spain in the bottom draw.
Extremely elated with the team’s performance, Sjoerd Marijne, the Netherlands coach said, “The team played very well and focused on the game which gave us very good results. Most players of our team have played with senior teams in the past which has really helped. I donot see any pressure on the team as we are entering the knockout phase. We are trying to improve our performance in every match. We are looking forward to our next match with New Zealand.”