New Delhi:
Jang Jong-Hyun scored three goals as South Korea routed lowly Canada 9-2 on Sunday to keep their semi-final hopes alive the men's field hockey World Cup.
Nam Hyun-Woo and You Hyo-Sik chipped in with two goals apiece as the Asian champions ran circles around the hapless Canadian defence in a group A match.
The second half produced nine goals, two of them to Canada's Philip Wright, after the Koreans led 2-0 at the interval.
South Korea, who have seven points from four games, may still need to defeat the Netherlands in their last match on Tuesday to ensure a place in the semi-finals.
The Dutch lead the group with nine points, followed by defending champions Germany and South Korea on seven each.
The Netherlands will qualify for the semi-finals if they do not lose to Germany later on Sunday.
New Zealand (six points) play Argentina (zero) in their fourth match, also on Sunday.
"We needed this win badly and I am happy it all came together today," said Korean coach Shin Seok-Kyo.
"It will take a lot from our side, and also our rivals, to ensure we make it to the semi-finals. We can only control what we do and that is to beat the Dutch."
Canada have lost all four matches so far, scoring four goals and conceding 24.