Beijing: Former champions Australia were set for a tough Chinese challenge after world No.1 the Netherlands cruised into the semi-finals of the Olympic field hockey on Saturday.
The Dutch girls became the first team to advance to the last four when they beat the Hockeyroos 2-1 for their fourth successive win in pool A.
Penalty corner specialist Maartje Paumen struck once in each half to seal the Dutch victory after Sarah Young had given Australia the lead in the 17th minute.
The defeat left Australia tied in second place with hosts China, their rivals in Monday's crucial last league match which will lift the winner into the semi-finals.
Australia's Young said the reverse against the Dutch hurt, but was confident the side would regroup in time for the China clash.
"The loss is not a huge setback but we do have our heads down," she said.
"We had our chances, but just did not put them away. We need to go in fighting against China and have the confidence to beat the Dutch if we do meet them again. China have the home crowd to back them and they have practiced a lot more on this turf than anyone else. I think we need at least a draw against them and we will be ready."
China drew level with Australia on nine points with a stunning 6-1 demolition of Asian rivals South Korea in which Tang Chunling and Fu Baorong both slammed hat-tricks.
Meanwhile, world No. 2 Argentina roared back into form with a 4-0 win over defending champions Germany that threw open the semi-final race in pool B.
After a goalless first half, Argentina raced ahead in the session with two goals from Alejandra Gulla and one each from Claudia Burkart and Luciana Aymar.
The South Americans moved to eight points, one behind Germany, with both teams needing to win their last matches on Monday to advance.
Argentina, who won the Champions Trophy ahead of the Games, face winless New Zealand, while the German girls clash with Japan.
The United States, meanwhile, scored their first win in the tournament with a 4-1 victory over New Zealand in pool B.
The American girls, ranked 11th in the world, were lying third behind Germany and Argentina with five points, one more than both Britain and Japan who face-off later on Saturday night.
New Zealand, ranked three places above the United States at No. 8, struggled after Keli Smith put the Americans ahead in the first minute and Angela Loy made it 2-0 in the 12th.
Joanne Galletly reduced the margin for New Zealand two minutes into the second half, but Smith and Kayla Bashore pumped in two more goals for the Americans to seal a facile win.
"We have come a long way in the last three to four years," said Smith. "We had confidence coming into the tournament that we could compete with any team when we brought our A game to the pitch."
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