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Netherlands Atop Group-A at World Cup Field Hockey Tournament in Kuala Lumpur VOA Sports 2 Mar 2002 21:32 UTC 
Reigning champion the Netherlands has come one step closer to the semifinals of the World Cup field hockey tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by scoring a 2-1 win over Pakistan.
Bram Lomans scored a goal in each half for the Dutch with Khalid Saleem hitting Pakistan's only goal in the 55th minute.
The victory leaves the Netherlands atop group-A with 13 points, one more than Germany and two ahead of Spain. Germany scored a 2-1 win over New Zealand while Spain played South Africa to a 2-2 draw. With only two matches remaining, Pakistan would have to beat both Germany and Spain to reach the final four.
Meanwhile in group-B, Australia and South Korea both came closer to the semifinals with victories Saturday. Australia crushed Japan, 5-0, and South Korea defeated Poland, 4-0.
India won its first match of the tournament in group-B with a 4-0 victory over Cuba. The win came just hours after India fired coach Cedric D'Souza.
After round-robin play, the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals. The final is scheduled for next Saturday.
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