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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Rio 2016 women's football: USA v New Zealand – live! | Rio 2016 women's football: USA v New Zealand – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.09pm BST | |
| 23:09 | |
| GOAL! New Zealand 0-1 USA (Lloyd 9) | |
| And it’s the captain! | |
| 11.08pm BST | |
| 23:08 | |
| 8 min: This has been a good start from the Olympic champions – they’re quickly into their stride. We still haven’t seen a replay of that Nayler save from Lloyd, but it must have been from about four yards out. Great goalkeeping. | |
| 11.06pm BST | |
| 23:06 | |
| 6 min: Heath with it, and Morgan heads over the bar! She got free in the box, and should have done better. | |
| 11.05pm BST | |
| 23:05 | |
| 5 min: Oh, how did that stay out?! Amazing. Erin Nayler with two big saves from close range – first from Johnston, I think, and then from Lloyd on the follow-up, who seemed certain to score. Now Lloyd is tripped on the edge of the box, and this is a big chance. | |
| 11.04pm BST | |
| 23:04 | |
| 4 min: Great run into the box from Pugh, from the right side, and Erceg puts it behind for a corner. | |
| 11.03pm BST | |
| 23:03 | |
| 3 min: First look for USA, and Heath, was it, crosses from the left, but it’s headed clear by the Kiwis. | |
| 11.01pm BST | |
| 23:01 | |
| And we're off! | |
| 1 min: New Zealand in all black, typically, and USA in all white. | |
| 11.00pm BST | |
| 23:00 | |
| Anthems done. Time for kick-off! | |
| 10.56pm BST | |
| 22:56 | |
| The teams are coming out from the tunnel. It’s a nice evening in Belo Horizonte: about 73F, or 23C. Now time for the anthems. | |
| 10.52pm BST | |
| 22:52 | |
| We’re about 10 minutes from kick-off. The crowd in the stadium is exceedingly sparse. | |
| 10.41pm BST | |
| 22:41 | |
| Here’s some more on that Canada-Australia game: | |
| Related: Matildas go down 2-0 to Canada after fastest goal in Olympic women's football history | |
| 10.38pm BST | |
| 22:38 | |
| And Canada beat Australia 2-0, too. Janine Beckie’s opener for the Canadians came after just 20 seconds, which is a new Olympic record. | |
| 10.37pm BST | |
| 22:37 | |
| Some results from earlier: hosts Brazil eased past China 3-0, and Sweden beat South Africa 1-0. But both matches struggled to find an audience. Here’s how the AP saw it: | |
| “After a build-up plagued by organisational, health and security fears, Sweden and South Africa took to the field in the opening match of the women’s football tournament in front of scarcely more than a few hundred fans at the 60,000-capacity Olympic Stadium. | |
| “Huge swathes of blue seats remained empty all around the deathly-quiet venue, the home ground for club side Botafogo. | |
| “More spectators, clad in both the yellow of Sweden and Brazil, drifted into the stadium as the match progressed, with the hosts taking on China in the second game of the day. | |
| “The official attendance was given as 13,439. Optimistic is putting it kindly.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 10.40pm BST | |
| 10.31pm BST | 10.31pm BST |
| 22:31 | 22:31 |
| Carli Lloyd wants gold, and gold only. “I don’t play the sport and compete to settle for anything less than gold,” the USWNT skipper said earlier. “I know that sounds pretty bold but that just really is what our team is about. I have been to two Olympics so far and I am going for a third gold medal. That’s the plan.” | Carli Lloyd wants gold, and gold only. “I don’t play the sport and compete to settle for anything less than gold,” the USWNT skipper said earlier. “I know that sounds pretty bold but that just really is what our team is about. I have been to two Olympics so far and I am going for a third gold medal. That’s the plan.” |
| 10.30pm BST | 10.30pm BST |
| 22:30 | 22:30 |
| So, what looks like a full-strength team for USA, with Lloyd breaking from midfield to support Morgan and Pugh, who, interestingly, will wear the No2 shirt. Watch out for Amber Hearn and Hannah Wilkinson for New Zealand, while Sarah Gregorious and Rosie White could make an impact from the bench. | So, what looks like a full-strength team for USA, with Lloyd breaking from midfield to support Morgan and Pugh, who, interestingly, will wear the No2 shirt. Watch out for Amber Hearn and Hannah Wilkinson for New Zealand, while Sarah Gregorious and Rosie White could make an impact from the bench. |
| 10.17pm BST | 10.17pm BST |
| 22:17 | 22:17 |
| Tonight's teams | Tonight's teams |
| New Zealand: Nayler, Percival, Erceg, Stott, Riley, Duncan, Hassett, Bowen, Longo, Wilkinson, Hearn. Subs: Green, Pereira, Gregorius, Yallop, White, Moore, Rolls. | New Zealand: Nayler, Percival, Erceg, Stott, Riley, Duncan, Hassett, Bowen, Longo, Wilkinson, Hearn. Subs: Green, Pereira, Gregorius, Yallop, White, Moore, Rolls. |
| USA: Solo, O’Hara, Klingenberg, Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Heath, Long, Brian, Lloyd, Morgan, Pugh. Subs: Engen, Horan, Krieger, Press, Rapinoe, Dunn, Naeher. | USA: Solo, O’Hara, Klingenberg, Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Heath, Long, Brian, Lloyd, Morgan, Pugh. Subs: Engen, Horan, Krieger, Press, Rapinoe, Dunn, Naeher. |
| Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine) | Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine) |
| 10.11pm BST | 10.11pm BST |
| 22:11 | 22:11 |
| Hello and welcome | Hello and welcome |
| The 2016 Rio Olympics haven’t officially started – the opening ceremony is Friday night – but for the US women’s soccer team, today is all systems go. The current world champions are looking for their fifth Olympic gold, having won last time out in London four years ago, and they start this evening against New Zealand in Belo Horizonte. The great Abby Wambach has gone, but the bulk of the team that won the World Cup in Vancouver last year are still here – Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan – and in 18-year-old Mallory Pugh the US women have a star in the making. They’re the No1-ranked team in the world for a reason, and anything less than silver for Jill Ellis’s team would represent a major disappointment. | The 2016 Rio Olympics haven’t officially started – the opening ceremony is Friday night – but for the US women’s soccer team, today is all systems go. The current world champions are looking for their fifth Olympic gold, having won last time out in London four years ago, and they start this evening against New Zealand in Belo Horizonte. The great Abby Wambach has gone, but the bulk of the team that won the World Cup in Vancouver last year are still here – Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan – and in 18-year-old Mallory Pugh the US women have a star in the making. They’re the No1-ranked team in the world for a reason, and anything less than silver for Jill Ellis’s team would represent a major disappointment. |
| New Zealand are not quite in USA’s class, but they reached the Olympic quarter-finals in 2012, and have one or two classy players, notably captain Abby Erceg, who plays for Western New York Flash. The skipper sounded optimistic on the eve of the tournament: “When you’re at the Olympic Games you’re going to come up against the best players in the world, that is obviously what you want to do. It’s about the communication and cohesion we have at the back and, with our back four, we’ve been together for so long. We have a lot of experience and I think all our players bar one have over 100 caps. Hopefully we can use that.” | New Zealand are not quite in USA’s class, but they reached the Olympic quarter-finals in 2012, and have one or two classy players, notably captain Abby Erceg, who plays for Western New York Flash. The skipper sounded optimistic on the eve of the tournament: “When you’re at the Olympic Games you’re going to come up against the best players in the world, that is obviously what you want to do. It’s about the communication and cohesion we have at the back and, with our back four, we’ve been together for so long. We have a lot of experience and I think all our players bar one have over 100 caps. Hopefully we can use that.” |
| But USA are firm favorites, and why not: they’ve got experience, skill, physical power and individual class. They’ll be looking to make a statement, and should have too much for the Football Ferns. | But USA are firm favorites, and why not: they’ve got experience, skill, physical power and individual class. They’ll be looking to make a statement, and should have too much for the Football Ferns. |
| Kick off is 6pm local time, which is the same ET. Join us then. | Kick off is 6pm local time, which is the same ET. Join us then. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.27pm BST | at 10.27pm BST |
| 8.06pm BST | 8.06pm BST |
| 20:06 | 20:06 |
| Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, read why the US Olympic team is treading carefully in Rio: | Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, read why the US Olympic team is treading carefully in Rio: |
| The US delegation are aware that as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, any attack on Brazil’s lack of preparedness for the Games will be perceived as arrogance. And while no one from the USOC will reference the current presidential election or Donald Trump, they seem determined to keep their team from being one more thing the rest of the world dislikes about the US. The last thing the USOC wants is for its athletes to be booed in front of a worldwide audience at Friday’s opening ceremony. | The US delegation are aware that as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, any attack on Brazil’s lack of preparedness for the Games will be perceived as arrogance. And while no one from the USOC will reference the current presidential election or Donald Trump, they seem determined to keep their team from being one more thing the rest of the world dislikes about the US. The last thing the USOC wants is for its athletes to be booed in front of a worldwide audience at Friday’s opening ceremony. |
| The US is also deep in a bid for Los Angeles to host the 2024 Games. While complaints about the conditions in Rio probably won’t damage that bid, they won’t help either – the IOC makes its decision on the 2024 host city in September 2017. | The US is also deep in a bid for Los Angeles to host the 2024 Games. While complaints about the conditions in Rio probably won’t damage that bid, they won’t help either – the IOC makes its decision on the 2024 host city in September 2017. |
| American officials and former athletes have visited different teams in recent weeks to talk to athletes about how they should act in Rio, in addition to other training. Swimmers, for instance, were instructed the day after trials ended in Omaha, Nebraska, last month; golfers were met at the PGA Championship in Baltusrol. A group of USOC officials even went to the men’s basketball practices in Las Vegas to talk to the NBA players who will be playing. Their key message was the same: hold off on complaining. | American officials and former athletes have visited different teams in recent weeks to talk to athletes about how they should act in Rio, in addition to other training. Swimmers, for instance, were instructed the day after trials ended in Omaha, Nebraska, last month; golfers were met at the PGA Championship in Baltusrol. A group of USOC officials even went to the men’s basketball practices in Las Vegas to talk to the NBA players who will be playing. Their key message was the same: hold off on complaining. |
| Related: In the age of Trump, the US treads carefully at the Olympics | Related: In the age of Trump, the US treads carefully at the Olympics |