Germany takes on Pakistan next in under an hour. We will have coverage of that pool D game too, so stay tuned for what could be another good game of hockey.
And here's Robbert Kemperman with his thoughts on the game, which was his 200th cap for his country:
Here is Sander Baart's take on the game:
Man of the Match: Hat-trick hero Jeroen Hertzberhger.
FULL TIME: Netherlands 7 - 0 Malaysia. A completely one-sided game comes to an end. The Dutch starts its campaign on the best possible note. Malaysia needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out what went wrong, because very little went its way today.
60' GOAL! Hertzberhger picks the ball in the middle of the pitch, goes on a solo run before smashing it well beyond Kumar's reach. That's his hat-trick!
58' We are into the final two minutes of the game but Netherlands does not seem content with the scoreline. Still poking and probing the Malaysian defence.
56' GOAL! Brinkman makes it Netherlands 6-0 Malaysia.
55' Malaysia with a lot of possession and passes in the last five minutes but Dutch do well to hold their defensive shape.
51' Malaysia with a rare attack and the Dutch players are back so quickly that it becomes a 4 vs 1 against the Malaysian attacker. They have a 5-0 lead but they are well motivated to make sure they don't concede a goal.
46' Kemperman with a reverse stick shot and Kumar saves. The Mayaysian keeper has pulled of several good saves in this game. Would be a cricket score if it wasn't for him.
46' Malaysia gets the final quarter underway. Can it hold on and finish a quarter without conceding? Maybe even find a consolation goal?
The third quarter comes to an end with Netherlands increasing its lead even more. It leads Malaysia 5-0 ahead of the final 15 minutes of the game.
STAT: 74% of this game been played in the Malaysian half. If the score line doesn't give you an idea about Netherlands' domination in this game, then this stat sums it up perfectly.
42' GOAL! Kemperman scores on the day he is making his 200th appearance.
39' Netherlands in comfortable of the game, happy with keeping possession and passing around the Malaysian players.
35' GOAL! Netherlands takes a 4-0 lead! Mink van der Weerden opens his World Cup account from a penalty corner.
34' Pruijser wiggles away from his marker and shoots one into the upright.
31' Malaysia gets the second half underway.
STAT: Netherlands has taken 15 shots in 30 minutes and 14 of them have been on target. Clinical!
December 1 is World AIDS Day and fans have made a tifo for the occassion.
The halftime hooter goes and Netherlands goes into the break in complete control of the match, thank to the two goals in the second quarter.
28' GOAL! Pruijser wins the ball, passes to Hertzberhger who turns and smashes it home. The ball went in before Kumar could even react to that shot.
28' Netherlands keeps possession with passes from left to right, and back, around the Malaysian defence, which seems happy to let the Dutch pass around outside the circle.
STAT: 58% of the Dutch attack has come through the middle. 17% from the left and the rest, 25%, from the right.
24' Billy Bakker turns and smashes one on target but Kumar is alert to make a good save.
21' GOAL! Mirco Pruijser doubles the lead! Malaysia is robbed of possession and a few simple passes break open the Malaysian defence and Pruijser flicks in Netherlands' second goal.
21' Kemperman thumps one in from just inside the circle and Kumar saves/clears with his gloves.
STAT: Skipper Sukri and keeper Kumar have 300+ caps for Malaysia: 304 and 307 respectvely.
17' Two minutes into the quarter and the Dutch win a penalty corner. Hertzberger gets the ball and shoots. Hits the leg of a Malaysian player and there's a second penalty corner. Malaysia fails to clear and Subramiam Kumar has to make two good saves in the space of a few seconds, before there's a second - and then a fourth penalty corner - for Netherlands. Captain Sukri Mutalib finally wins a freehit and gives his team a breather.
16' Netherlands gets the second quarter underway.
15' A long corner is taken by Razie Rahim and Syed Cholan's shot is saved by Blaak Pirmin. And with that, the first quarter comes to an end .
14' Malaysia has won itself a penalty corner in the last minute of the first quarter!
13' Unsurprisingly, Netherlands has the upper hand in possession. 56% compared to Mayaysia's 44%.
12'GOAL! Jeroen Hertzberhger has given the Dutch the lead! Or has he? The umpire has asked for a referral to make sure it was a clean hit. And the goal stands. That's his 102nd goal in his 214th cap, a decent 47% conversation ratio.
11' Billy Bakker runs through the Malaysian midfield but a crucial tackle stops him in his tracks.
10' First penalty corner of the games goes to Netherlands! Mink van der Weerden, who has scored the most penalty corners for the Dutch, takes it but Malaysia holds its fort. But there's a video referral here, the referee wants to see if the ball bounced off the defending Malaysian player's stick or foot first in that penalty corner. The referee had given a second penalty corner but it was a good appeal by Malaysia and that decision is overturned. Good call that.
9' Malaysia tries to play out of the back with short, quick passes but the Dutch close down all passing lanes well. And win back possession.
7' Kemperman with a beautiful ball forward from the midfield. Malaysia manage to defend but the Dutch veteran is slowly getting comfortable in the middle. He is finding time and space a little too easily right now.
5' Malaysia caught ball watching but Subramiam Kumar does enough to prevent a goal, chesting it away from goal.
2' Thierry Brinkman and Marhan Jalil clash and the referee gives Malaysia a freehit, which comes to nothing.
1' Netherlands gets the game underway, starting with what can be called their strongest lineup.
Netherlands' Robbert Kemperman is making his 200th appearance for the national team. A skillful attacking midfielder, Kemperman – who follows in the footsteps of Dutch legend Teun de Nooijer by wearing the iconic number 14 shirt – is an instrumental figure within the current Netherlands set-up. Big day for the Dutch star!
Here's how both the teams lineup for the game today:
Netherlands and Malaysia have faced each other twelve times and the stats favour the Dutch, which has won ten of those games and lost just once.
Trivia about Malaysia:
- World ranking: 12
- How it qualified: 4th Place – Hero Hockey World League Semifinal, London.
Malaysia is making its eighth World Cup appearance, with its best performance to date coming way back in 1975 when it finished just outside the medals in fourth position. It finished last (12th) at the 2014 Hockey World Cup, its first appearance at the event since 2002.
Malaysia's Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans will be up against his home country and he also has experience of winning the World Cup as a coach – with the Netherlands women (1990) and men (1998).
Netherlands trivia:
- World ranking: 4
- How it qualified: Continental champions of Europe / 1st Place – Hero Hockey World League Semifinal, London.
Netherlands has won the title three times, been runner-up on a further three occasions and has two bronze medals. It came close to claiming a first title since 1998 at the 2014 Hockey World Cup, where it finished second to Australia.
It's current coach Max Caldas has experience of winning the Hockey World Cup as a coach, having previously guided its women's team to the World Cup title in 2014.
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