Pakistan to contest for No 7 slot: Out of Champions Trophy reckoning BEIJING - With the so far invincible Aussies playing out a draw against Great Britain, the four finalists stand decided. The Aussies go through, but in the second place behind the Netherlands from pool 'B' while Spain and Germany complete the quartet from pool 'A'. Pakistan meanwhile had to suffer another defeat - by now a rather familiar outcome - and the mortification to not even make it to the top six. The greenshirts now contest for place out of the elite half dozen in world hockey, and would have to remain content at best for a number seven slot. Pakistan played marginally better compared to its previous outings here, but the forward-line's continued woeful form against the Netherlands meant that for the third time in five matches, it ended up not scoring enough goals to win. The Dutch came from a goal behind from the first half, which Pakistan dominated, to score four goals that in the eventual 4-2 scoreline put the issue beyond doubt in a 4-2 scoreline. Thus the expectation that Pakistan would sign off in style was quashed, and so were the hopes that it would at least be able salvage something from here by finishing in the top six to make the cut for the 2009 Champions Trophy. One serious consequence of this defeat was that by ending fourth at the end of the league stage Pakistan would now be fighting for the bottom two places in the middle cluster of four - against New Zealand. For the Netherlands the victory was a moment to rejoice for it made it the first side to qualify for a semis spot from pool B, while from across the aisle world champions Germany outscored New Zealand 3-1 to earn similar honours while Spain overcame South Korea 2-1. Australia completed the quartet despite playing out a draw against Great Britain. It is a point of conjecture whether the Aussies in order to avoid Germany, its conqueror in the 2006 World Cup, contrived to make it a stalemate. But such things are now happening in hockey, and while Holland had accused Germany and Australia of fixing the result in the 2006 World Cup to send it crashing out of the top four, there are many who believe that the Dutch together with Australia committed the same mischief here to kill the remote prospects of Pakistan and Britain springing a surprise. Pakistan's pathetic show With Salman Akbar having an outstanding game under the bar, saving at least six attempts on the Pakistan citadel, for the first time in the whole event, Pakistan really was the superior side for a whole half - the first one. But then the forwards continued to remain errant, and the two short corner goals were not enough against a winning combination that the Dutch have.   Pakistan went into the break with a most heartening 1-0 lead through a brute of a strike by short corner specialist Muhammad Imran that sailed low and at lightning pace to smash into the backboard. But missing by the forwards that has been Pakistan's bane in this tournament, came back to haunt it in the second half. As several opportunities went abegging, the Dutch came roaring back through that most fabulous of playmakers, Teun de Nooijer, setting up two goals and Taeke Taekema, already the leading scorer in this Olympic tournament, took his tally to 10 goals from another brace to literally put the game away and pile still more misery on Pakistan.   The Netherlands equaliser came through a run down the left flank by Nooijer and laying a pass for Matthijs Brower to slam it home from the centre in the 41st minute. Two hot, precision penalty corner conversions 12 minutes apart, in 46th and 58th, Taekema shot Holland into a double lead. Pakistan's midfilder pulled one down with a short corner deflection into the net but that was neutralised by another Nooijer effort that was slammed home by Jeroen Hertzberger with a minute to go. In the other morning game, Germany saw off New Zealand through goals by captain Timo Wess, Matthias Witthaus and Florian Keller that saw them becoming the first side from pool B to make it to the semis. Pakistan thus are just one game away from finishing the Games with disappointment writ large at their faces. The most they could now achieve is a seventh position that might entitle them to be the team getting promoted to the Champions Trophy in 2010.  Meanwhile, they would have to console themselves with crumbs in terms of invitations to second rate tournaments that they are invited to take part in. Not a position to be proud of for a side that was once synonymous to excellence in hockey as Brazil is to soccer.