Ladies’s soccer on the Tokyo Olympics is underway and Ellen White’s double gave dominant Group GB a cushty 2-0 win over Chile of their opening match.
That Hege Riise’s facet failed so as to add to the scoreline owed a lot to their very own profligacy and determined, last-ditch, defending from Chile.
They now face the hosts, Japan, in Sapporo on Saturday earlier than taking part in Canada in Kashima to finish Group E subsequent Tuesday.
In contrast to within the males’s model the place age limits apply, ladies’s groups can area their strongest, senior sides, so the ladies’s recreation sees the competitors as a significant event and gold medals are seen as the top of gamers’ careers.
When are Group GB’s video games?
Sure, Nice Britain loved a successful begin, beating Chile on Wednesday, however there might be a lot harder video games to come back.
On Saturday (July 24), GB will meet the hosts, Japan, in Sapporo, earlier than taking up Canada practically 700 miles away in Kashima on July 27.
With 12 groups within the competitors, the highest two sides in every of the three teams will undergo to the quarter-finals, together with the 2 greatest third-place groups.
The winners of GB’s group would tackle a third-placed nation in Kashima on July 30, earlier than probably assembly the winners of the USA’s group within the semi-finals in Yokohama on August 2.
The runners-up in GB’s group will face the runners-up from Group F [Holland’s group] within the coastal city of Rifu on July 30, earlier than colliding with the Group F winners on August 2 in Kashima.
The ultimate, in Tokyo, might be performed on August 6. Germany, 2016 gold-medal winners, haven’t certified for the competitors, however runners-up Sweden are in Group G and defeated long-standing rivals the USA 3-0 of their opening match.
Newest information
Boss Hege Riise believes Group GB despatched out a press release after cruising previous Chile of their Olympic opener.
The facet – primarily made up of England gamers – had performed only one warm-up recreation collectively and, as a Group GB soccer squad returned for simply their second Olympics, Riise was delighted with the show.
She mentioned: “We now have been ready for this recreation a very long time and we have been so wanting to get began. Get begin, get a win, hold them away from our purpose, rating two targets – it is a good assertion for the video games arising.
“How we began the sport was distinctive. The primary half-hour have been the most effective we have performed and we saved it going. It wasn’t fairly for the entire recreation however we fought and we managed to get the end result we needed.
“I requested for begin and we had an excellent one.”
Riise, who received gold as a participant with Norway in 2000, additionally reserved reward for Manchester Metropolis’s Ellen White after her brace.
She added: “We belief Ellen to attain targets and she or he does. Not solely targets, she fights exhausting, she works for 90 minutes to get the purpose or different gamers in. She’s essential and brings numerous confidence to this group.
“It is a group effort and we actually stood out. We’re so proud of the squad we’ve got. We will put gamers on and make a distinction and that is the standard we would like.”
Chile boss Jose Letelier mentioned: “We knew going into it Nice Britain have been a really highly effective group. Within the first half we bought good shut alternatives which we might have taken benefit of extra.
“We now have to be goal and we all know Nice Britain have been higher than us on this recreation.
“We tried to maintain up with them and throughout the second half it was more durable to get into their space. Surely we’ve got to surpass these obstacles.
“We now have a ladies’s group who’re nonetheless rising and we’re going to play our recreation to our fullest potential. We now have to study from this going ahead.”
Who’s within the Group GB squad?
Goalkeepers: Ellie Roebuck (Manchester Metropolis and England), Carly Telford (Chelsea and England)
Defenders: Millie Vivid (Chelsea and England); Lucy Bronze (Manchester Metropolis and England); Rachel Daly (Houston Sprint and England); Steph Houghton (Manchester Metropolis and England); Demi Stokes (Manchester Metropolis and England); Leah Williamson (Arsenal and England)
Midfielders: Sophie Ingle (Chelsea and Wales); Kim Little (Arsenal and Scotland); Jill Scott (Manchester Metropolis and England); Keira Walsh (Manchester Metropolis and England); Caroline Weir (Manchester Metropolis and Scotland)
Forwards: Lauren Hemp (Manchester Metropolis and England); Fran Kirby (Chelsea and England); Nikita Parris (Arsenal and England); Georgia Stanway (Manchester Metropolis and England); Ellen White (Manchester Metropolis and England)
Reserve gamers: Sandy MacIver (Everton and England); Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal and England); Niamh Charles (Chelsea and England); Ella Toone (Manchester United and England)
The ladies’s teams
Group E
Japan, Canada, Nice Britain, Chile
Group F
China, Brazil, Zambia, Holland
Group G
Sweden, USA, Australia, New Zealand
GB’s end result and fixtures
- GB 2 Chile 0
- Japan v GB, July 24 [11.30am BST]
- Canada v GB, July 27 [12.00 midday BST]