Two goals each from Terrance Pieters and Jip Janssen saw the Netherlands record a big win over Belgium which put them within touching distance of the semi-finals.

It played out at a rocking SparkassenPark with a big crowd filling the grandstand and making themselves heard.

Pieters made it 1-0 with a calm finish from a corner rebound, slipping the ball under Loic Van Doren after Tijmen Reyenga’s pair of shots had been parried.

Nelson Onana levelled in the first minute of Q2, reacting quickly at the back post when Max van Oost’s right wing cross popped up at the front post to head height.

The Dutch, however, returned to the lead before the break when a rough tackle led to a penalty stroke which Jip Janssen had few problems in dispatching.

The Red Lions came back once again in Q3, Guillaume Hellin this time sweeping in first time from a ball through the centre of the circle.

Pieters restored the Dutch lead for a third time in emphatic style. Tjep Hoedemakers was the instigator, breaking out from midfield and laying off a great pass that left Pieters with space to attack.

He did so and fired a viciously powerful low shot into the backboards from a narrow angle for a 3-2 lead.

And the game was put to bed when the Dutch went on a pitch-length breakaway which ended with Thierry Brinkman being fouled by a sliding tackle; Janssen did the rest from the penalty spot.