From the opening matches of the women's Olympic soccer tournament, host China took a deep breath after winning over European powerhouse Sweden 2-1, while medal favorites Brazil, Germany and the United States either tied or lost their openers on Wednesday.
Striker Han Duan, 25, scored China's winner in the 71st minute after Xu Yuan opened the scoring in the 6th minute and Lotta Schelin put in the equaliser in the first half.
The win gave the host an advantage footing in the group wheras Canada downed underdog Argentina 2-1 earlier. A win over Argentina could secure a ticket to the knockout stage for China.
Coach Shang Ruihua believes it was home advantage that has helped the host team snatch three points from its powerful European rivals. "The home fans gave us great support," Shang said. "Maybe that is why so many countries would like to host Olympics."
In Group F, Brazil, who were beaten 2-0 by Germany in last year's FIFA World Cup, hoped to take revenge in their Olympic opener. They fought fiercely, dominated the second half, but were unable to open the scoring and eventually settled for a scoreless draw.
"I'm not satisfied with the result," said Brazilian coach Jorge Barcellos. "We made a lot of trouble for the German defense but also wasted a lot of chances."
German coach Silvia Neid acknowledged the second half Brazil was stronger but said they did well in covering Marta. "Our defenders did a good job, they moved all to get Marta a difficult angle."
In order to advance to the next round from the deadly group, the two teams have to beat both African champion Nigeria and Asian giant DPR Korea, who tops the group after beating the Africans 1-0.
Earlier, two-time Olympic champion United States were beaten 2-0 by Norway, with both goals scored in the first four minutes.
Like Brazil and Germany, the Americans will face weaker teams in the group, namely Japan and New Zealand, which fought to a 2-2 draw in their group opener.
(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)