In the men’s semifinals, the Netherlands demonstrated their dominance with a decisive 4-0 victory over Spain, reinforcing their status as gold medal favorites. The Dutch have maintained a strong performance throughout the Olympic tournament, suffering only a single one-goal loss during the pool rounds.
Spain, however, still has a chance to secure a podium finish for the first time since 2008 by competing in the bronze medal match.
Read more: Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan Advances to the Final Round of Paris Olympics 2024
Despite Spain’s strong start and control of possession in the first quarter, the Netherlands took control with a successful penalty stroke by Jip Janssen, who deceived Spanish goalkeeper Luis Calzado and scored the opening goal. Janssen’s goal marked his 11th career penalty stroke goal.
Early in the second quarter, Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman added the second goal with a rebound shot.
The Netherlands continued their strong performance into the second half, quickly extending their lead to three goals within the first two minutes of the third quarter and adding a fourth goal midway through the final quarter.
From then on, they focused on maintaining possession and managing the game.
