Netherlands routs Australia

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Netherlands doesn’t get humiliated often in men’s field hockey. When it happens, the Dutch don’t forget. Armed with memories from a blowout loss to Australia in the World Cup Final in 2014, the Netherlands took control from the start of its Olympic quarterfinal match. Billy Bakker scored 49 seconds into the match to set the tone in a 4-0 victory Sunday. “The energy we had — maybe for some guys, the way we lost the World Cup Final was in the back of their heads,” Dutch player Bob de Voogd said, referring to the 6-1 loss. “The energy we had, the desire to go to the semifinal, was really big today.” Australia coach Graham Reid knew what was happening right away. “That game was probably two years in the making,” Reid said. “That World Cup — there was a fair few of those boys who were out there tonight who had that deep-seated want for revenge.” The quarterfinal matched the world’s top two teams, something the second-ranked Dutch didn’t expect so early. But top-ranked Australia slipped and finished third in its pool. The Australians had medaled in six consecutive Olympics, claiming gold in 2004 and bronze in 2008 and 2012. The Dutch advanced to play Belgium in the semifinals Tuesday. Belgium defeated India 3-1 earlier in the day. After Bakker’s early goal, Australia dominated possession in the second period, but the Netherlands consistently made good defensive plays in the circle. The Dutch then added to their lead when de Voogd knocked one in late in the second. Valentin Verga scored for the Dutch early in the third period, and Mink van der Weerden added another goal early in the fourth. Earlier, Argentina reached semifinals. It’s Argentina’s first time in the semifinals in 11 Olympics. The Argentine men, who have long played in the shadow of their far more successful women’s team, defeated Spain 2-1 on a Juan Gilardi penalty stroke just 87 seconds from fulltime. Peillat put Argentina in front early from a penalty corner, and the scoreline remained the same into the fourth quarter, where Spain’s rising desperation finally paid off. Four minutes from the end, Pau Quemada’s fourth and last penalty corner shot finally flew in, but the Argentines earned the last say. Belgium beat India 3-1, coming from behind. Akashdeep Singh chopped in Manpreet Singh’s raking pass, and it held up until four minutes after halftime, when Belgium’s Sebastien Dockier dribbled to the top of the circle and, without a defender near him and the goal in the sight, shot back across his body and past goalkeeper Parattu Sreejesh. Belgium’s second was almost inevitable, as Elliot van Strydock’s reverse stick pass from left of the circle was guided in by a diving Dockier. Soon after, Tom Boon shrugged off a defender, dribbled in, lost the ball, regained it and hit home to ensure Belgium still had hope of a first medal since a bronze on Olympic debut at its 1920 home Olympics.