Valentin Verga gave the rampant Dutch a fourth minute lead at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

He then doubled the advantage shortly before the quarter-hour mark with Thijs van Dam then making it three.

Robbert Kepperman, Mirco Pruijser and Thierry Brinkman added extra gloss to the scoreline for the country who came fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Argentina, the winners in the Brazilian city, were outplayed by the European champions and only had a consolation from Matias Paredes to show for their efforts.

Dutch defender Mink van der Weerden said: "For us it was a really good win and another step forward. 

"That’s the most important thing."

Hosts England sealed third place as they saw off Malaysia 4-1, a victory which earned them the third and final available berth at the HWL final in India in December.

Fifth place went to Canada who beat India 3-2, a crucial win as it means they qualify for the 2018 Hockey World Cup as one of the top five nations from the semi-final.

India, who will host both this year's HWL final and next year's World Cup in Bhubaneswar, were already assured of a spot in both competitions. 

Pakistan beat China 3-1 to finish seventh.

Pool play also continued at the women's HWL semi-final in Belgian capital Brussels, with games taking place at Stade Fallon.

Australia beat Spain 4-1 to top Group B after four matches played.

Hosts Belgium, who have a game in hand, beat New Zealand 1-0 to sit second.

In Group A, The Netherlands sit top after making it three wins from three.

They saw off China 1-0, with South Korea thrashing Scotland 5-0 to record an opening success.