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The Pool of Death of the Hockey World Cup was alive until the last round of matches with all four teams having a chance to advance to the knockouts and the Germans being assured of the same in advance.
The Pakistan players watching from the sidelines would well have heaved a sigh of relief when the Germans finally overcame Malaysia after a few stutters knowing quite well that all that was required of them to advance to the crossovers was to prevent the Dutch from scoring eight goals or more.
Yet, Rehan Butt declared before the match that his team was aiming for a win against the Netherlands as they wanted to finish second in the pool to play Canada and avoid Belgium in the crossovers.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, knew quite well that the Germans had already booked a quarter-final place but had just to earn a point to finish second in the pool.
Pakistan did begin like they meant business but the Dutch gradually asserted themselves and gained some valuable match practice ahead of the crossovers against Canada.
We take a look at 3 factors that may have influenced the final outcome of the match that ended with a 5-1 scoreline in favour of The Netherlands.
#3 Pakistan go on the offensive for the first time in the World Cup
After adopting a staid defensive approach against the Germans which was understandable - and playing an equally cautious game against Malaysia which seemed to defy logic, Pakistan began with purpose against a Dutch side who were equally intent on scoring early.
Although the Dutch had more of the ball, Pakistan did not hesitate to move up the pitch whenever an opportunity presented itself and Umar Bhutta got the equalizer for his team just a couple of minutes after Thierry Brinkman had scored the opening goal.
Bhutta's goal emboldened the Pakistan strikers who tested the Dutch defence with a series of quick attacks and ensured that their side remained in the contest up until the long breather after which Caldas' side imposed themselves upon their lower-ranked opponents.
#2 Where was the Pakistan midfield in the second half?
Pakistan seemed to be performing satisfactorily without captain Rizwan Sr. when the proceedings began. In fact, it was Rizwan's replacement Arslan Qadir who earned an early PC for his side and made his presence felt out in the centre.
As the match progressed, however, it became increasingly clear that the Men in Green were being stretched to the limit without the services of Rizwan Sr. - so much so, that Pakistan who were threatening to steal points from the Dutch in the first half simply fell apart in the second.
The Netherlands gained a stranglehold over the match in the third quarter as they managed to penetrate the Pakistan circle thirteen times and pegged the green shirts back to such an extent that they managed just one ineffective foray into Dutch territory in the same period.
The final quarter was marginally better for the Men in Green, but the Dutch still managed ten circle entries and had got themselves an almost unbeatable 4-1 lead before according the Pakistan strikers a chance to end the match with a second consolation goal which never came about.
Pakistan seemed to have no support whatsoever in midfield either to stem the flow of Caldas' strikers or feed their own and have just a day to figure out what they can possibly do to offset the loss of their captain before taking on Belgium in the vital crossover tomorrow.
#1 The Dutch strike form but van der Weeden struggles
If the Dutch manage to overcome the Canadians in the crossover, which on current form seems to be the most likely outcome, the Kalinga stadium will witness an epic quarterfinal between India and the Netherlands on Thursday.
Should the Indians be worried?
Max Caldas' boys blew the Malaysians away in their opener by a massive 7-0 margin, not taking any time to settle into the competition but then appeared to lose their way a bit by going down to neighbours Germany by a 1-4 margin.
Yet, a closer look at the all-European clash brings to light the fact that the Dutch were on par with Stefan Kermas' side for three-quarters of the match and had managed to enter the German circle 29 times - when in fact the Germans themselves ended the match with 22 circle entries.
Three goals in the final quarter allowed the Germans to come away with full points and a seemingly-comprehensive win but it wasn't as if the orange army was overrun by their arch-rivals.
Seve van Ass, Bob de Voogt, Thierry Brinkman, Jeroen Hertzberger, Billy Bakker, Valentin Verga, and Robbert Kemperman have already made their mark in the World Cup while Blaak in goal is just as good as he always has been.
The manner in which the Dutch took command of the proceedings and pummelled the Pakistanis out of the match will no doubt cause the Indian think-tank to devise appropriate strategies, but the hosts may perhaps heave a sigh of relief that Mink van der Weeden has yet to come into his own.
The ace drag-flicker does seem to be struggling a bit but did sound the warning bells by firing in a trademark flick in the very last minute to score the fifth goal for his side against Pakistan, and the Indians may well assume that van der Weeden will fire when it matters given the fact that he loves the big stage.
Head to Sportskeeda to check out the schedule for the upcoming matches.
