England beat Chile in Olympic football opener, Sweden thrash USA

Sports Desk

Published: July 21, 2021, 09:01 PM

England beat Chile in Olympic football opener, Sweden thrash USA

England started their Olympic campaign successfully as the women's football side beat Chile comfortably in an empty stadium in Sapporo, Japan.

Manchester City striker Ellen White scored either side of the break to put Bretain in the driving seat in Group E.

City team-mate Lauren Hemp, who was impressive throughout, kept the ball in play at the back post for White to poke in the opener after 18 minutes.

Defender Lucy Bronze then flicked it past the defender and picked out White, whose acrobatic overhead kick made it 2-0 later in the second half.

Hege Riise's side dominated possession and created a host of chances - White could have had a hat-trick had she not been offside when she stabbed in the rebound from Georgia Stanway's strike early on.

England now top the group before hosts' Japan's opening game against Canada (11:30 BST kick-off).

The women's football tournament has started two days prior to the opening ceremony in Tokyo, while the English are the first of a 376-strong team to represent the nation.

They took the knee prior to kick-off to highlight discrimination and racial injustice, a gesture that was reciprocated by the entire Chile team.

Elsewhere, Sweden stunned world champions the United States 3-0 to end their unbeaten 44-game run, while the Netherlands thrashed Zambia 10-3.

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