Germany and Netherlands eye semi-finals

BEIJING  - Defending champions Germany and title contenders the Netherlands stepped closer to the semi-finals of the Olympic women's field hockey with their third wins on Thursday.

The German girls, who won their maiden Olympic title at Athens four years ago, beat the United States 4-2 in a pool B match after being locked 1-1 at half-time.The Dutch, who lost the Athens final to the Germans, overcame a fighting China 1-0 in pool A with Maartje Paumen scoring the winner with a penalty corner in the 21st minute.

Title contenders Argentina kept their semi-final hopes alive from Pool B with a 2-1 win over Japan, their first success after two unlikely draws against Britain and the United States.