KUALA LUMPUR: Spain romped into the Junior World Cup (JWC) quarter-finals from Group C with an empathic 8-2 win over South Korea at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.
The Spanish had also secured maximum nine points by beating India 4-1 and Canada 7-0.
Pol Cabre (fifth, sixth), Enric Miralles (14th), Bruno Font (16th), Nicolas Alvarez (18th, 26th) and Pablo Espino (32nd, 35th) scored for Spain while Lee Seung Hwan (29th) and Park Geon Woo (58th) were on target for South Korea.
It was the second time the Spaniards won with a big score over the Koreans in the JWC. In 2021 Bhubaneswar, Spain won 9-0 in a Pool C match.
Spain coach Oriol Puig Torras said: "We need to recover well and be ready for the quarter-finals. The temperature is hot there and it's difficult to play. It's the same for all teams and we need to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated."
South Korea coach Young Seo Jang said: "My players were stressed and nervous and gave away too many quick goals.
"Korea are in a development process and I am still proud because we managed to score two goals. Our players do not have much international exposure unlike the other teams and our participation in the JWC is a good learning experience."