Defending champions the Netherlands took a giant leap towards a Champions Trophy hat-trick when they defeated hosts Pakistan 4-1 in Lahore on Tuesday.
The Dutch, who won the elite six-nation event in 2002 and 2003, recorded their third successive win in the current tournament to join Spain at the top of the round-robin league with nine points each.
Spain, 3-1 victors over New Zealand earlier on Tuesday, lead the table with a superior goal difference of 12-3 against the Netherlands' 14-7.
Pakistan, who have six points from three matches, must beat arch-rivals India and Spain in their remaining games to stay in contention for Sunday's final.
Dutch captain Jeroen Delmee celebrated his 300th match by scoring his team's fourth goal a minute before the final whistle to silence some 15,000 boisterous Pakistani fans at the National Hockey Stadium.