Skipper Muhammad Saqlain came up with a goal-line save seconds before the close to help Pakistan clinch a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in a 5 to 8 positions classification match at the 11th FIH men's hockey World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany [Images], on Friday.

The Dutch, champions in 1973, 1990 and 1998, paid the price for complacency and arrogance against a team that made the best of the offerings.

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Four-time champion Pakistan will now take on England [Images], who beat New Zealand [Images] 4-3 earlier, in the play-off for 5-6 positions, while the Dutch face the Kiwis to decide the 7th and 8th slots in the tournament.

In a rousing encounter that saw rival players nearly coming to blows in the second session, Pakistan played a disciplined game and did well to safeguard a one-goal lead.

Goals from penalty-corners by Shakeel Abbasi (11^th minute) and Sohail Abbas (33rd), followed a 36th minute strike by Zubair Muhammad from a lightning counter-attack, gave Pakistan a 3-0 lead as the Dutch, playing rather tamely, struggled to find their moorings.

However, the third Pakistani goal sparked the Dutch to life and they scored twice in a five-minute spell, with Rob Reckers picking a rebound in the 42nd minute and Taeke Taekema converting a penalty-corner in the 47th.

With the contest growing in intensity, tempers were on a hair-trigger, leading to chaotic scenes in the Dutch circle following a Pakistani penalty-corner attempt. However, the umpires intervened to restore order before the situation got out of hand.

Thereafter, the Dutch applied pressure and had a few chances, but on the day, the luck was with Pakistan, who even survived a penalty-corner in the final seconds, with Saqlain bringing off a goal-line save off Taekema's attempt.

The Netherlands, pre-tournament favourites, will thus end up no higher than seventh, their worst finish since the 1986 World Cup.

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