NEW DELHI, March 5 Defending champions Germany and the Netherlands stayed on course for the semi-finals of the men's field hockey World Cup with contrasting wins here at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Friday.

Germany, the reigning Olympic champions who are looking to win a third consecutive World Cup title, sweated to a 4-3 victory over a fighting Argentina.

The Dutch hammered lowly Canada 6-0 in another group 'A' match with Rogier Hofman and Taeke Taekema scoring two goals apiece.

Ronald Brouwer and Rob Reckers were the other scorers as the Netherlands, a three-time winner, hit top gear in the second session after the first had ended 0-0.

With two rounds of league matches remaining, the Netherlands lead the group with nine full points from three games, followed by Germany with seven and New Zealand with six.

New Zealand stayed in contention for their first-ever appearance in the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over South Korea.

The Netherlands must win one of their two remaining games against world champions Germany on Sunday and South Korea on Tuesday to qualify for the semi-finals.

Dutch captain Teun de Nooijer said the three wins so far had given his team confidence ahead of the match against Germany.

“The rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands is intense, just like the one between India and Pakistan,” the veteran midfielder said. “We have to be at our best because we know what the Germans are capable of. But the good record so far means we will be ready for them on Sunday.”

Argentina, who had lost both their previous matches, fought all the way against the Germans in an exciting late night match.

Martin Zwicker slammed two goals as Germany took a 3-1 lead, before Matias Paredes scored for Argentina just before half-time.

Martin Haner put Germany 4-2 ahead in the 51st minute and Pedro Ibarra made it 3-4 four minutes later, but Argentina failed to get the equaliser in the last quarter.

New Zealand scored both their goals against South Korea in the first half as Andrew Hayward converted a penalty corner in the fifth minute, before captain Dean Couzins pushed in a penalty stroke in the 22nd.

South Korea reduced the margin in the final minute through a stroke by Lee Nam Yong.

New Zealand, who have not finished higher than seventh in the World Cup, must win their last two games against Argentina on Sunday and Germany on Tuesday to book a semi-final spot.

South Korea, the Asian champions, are virtually out of the race with just four points in the bag.

Korean coach Shin Seok-Kyo blamed his team's poor display in the tournament so far on the lack of proper preparation.

“We should have trained better for the World Cup, but the cold weather at home did not help,” he expressed. “It is not a good feeling now because we are almost out of it.”—AFP