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Netherlands' Billy Bakker (C) with team mates Valentin Verga (R) and Teun de Nooijer celebrates - Source: Reuters
The Netherlands dished out a 9-2 thrashing to Britain in their semi-final today to advance to the men's Olympic hockey final against defending champions Germany.
With both teams determined to play attacking hockey, the British gave the world's number three team all the space they could have dreamed of to create chances and the Dutch duly delivered with great passing skills and inspired goals.
Roderick Weusthof put the Dutch, so far unbeaten in London, in the lead with a hard flick into the top right corner in the ninth minute. His second came when he reacted quickest to whack the ball across the line after a botched penalty corner effort.
Britain still had a chance to get back into the game when they pulled a goal back with a flicked penalty corner by Ashley Jackson three minutes later.
But the Dutch stepped up the pace, Mink van der Weerden scoring his seventh tournament goal with another penalty corner and Billy Bakker finishing off four quick passes inside the circle to give the Dutch a 4-1 halftime lead.
The second half saw the Dutch picking apart the British defence with fast passes.
Veteran Teun de Nooijer set up Bakker for their fifth, Bob de Voogd hammered a ball to the goal that de Nooijer just got his stick to, Floris Evers made it 7-1, and Bakker completed his hat-trick with a spectacular shot from a sharp angle.
Weusthof also scored a hat-trick with a penalty corner in the 61st minute before Britain's Robert Moore snuck one past the Dutch goalie to
complete the 9-2 final score.
The Dutch victory came at a price, however. They lost two players to injury. Klaas Vermeulen collided with Britain's Glenn Kirkham and was led off the pitch with an injury to his shoulder, while van der Weerden's foot was hit by a ball.