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Dutch hit six in second half to blank Canada

March 05, 2010 21:11 IST

- 12th Men's Hockey World Cup

Strong contenders The Netherlands hit six goals in the second half to blank a lowly Canada 6-0 and virtually booked a semi-final berth the men's hockey World Cup in Delhi on Friday.

In the earlier match of the day, New Zealand shocked fancied Korea 2-1 to stay in contention for a berth in the semis.

Ranked No 4, the Dutch failed to score in the first half, but came back strongly after the break, and with some attacking hockey maintained their clean slate in the tournament.

They are at the top of Pool A with nine points from three matches. Canada are out of contention for a semi-final berth after suffering their third successive defeat.

Taeke Taekema (41st and 63rd minute), Rogier Hofman (48th and 56th), Ronald Brouwer (43rd) and Rob Reckers (53rd) scored for the Netherlands under floodlights at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium.

Taekema's two goals made him the third most prolific scorer in World Cup history. He is on 19 goals, behind his own countrymen and penalty- corner specialists Paul Litjens (26) and Ties Kruize (21).

He went past Wolfgang Strodter (18 goals) of erstwhile West Germany, countryman Floris Jan Bovelander (17) and Pakistan's Sohail Abbas (17), who has so far scored just one goal from three matches in the ongoing World Cup.

The Dutch earned eight penalty-corners from which they converted two, while Canada failed to get even a single one.

Canada, seven places below the Netherlands at 11th in the FIH rankings, kept their opponents at bay in the first half and the Dutch did not get many scoring chances even though they had more possession of the ball.

The Dutch were disallowed a goal in the 23rd minute with the Scottish referee ruling that Ronald Brouwer's reverse stick shot was too high.

The Canadian goalkeeper also brought off a couple of fine saves -- first stopping a Taeke Taekema drag flick in the 18th minute and then Rob Recker's reverse stick shot two minutes before the breather.

But it was a goal rush in the second half, with the rampaging Dutch scoring almost at will.

Taekema opened the scoring, placing his drag-flick to the right of the Canadian goalkeeper. He then added another in the 63rd minute from another penalty-corner.

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