Japan vs Great Britain LIVE: Tokyo 2020 final score, result and reaction as Team GB reach quarter-finals
The second match of the group stage for Team GB as they continue their search for medals
Great Britain are through to the knockout stages of the Olympics women’s football competition with a game to spare after a 1-0 victory over hosts Japan. It was a professional display in a contest they bossed, though not with outright control. Similar to their 2-0 victory over Chile, they won the most important passages and, again, it was Ellen White’s name on the scoresheet. That her three goals in two games have come from just five shots says as much about her effectiveness in front of goal as it does of how Team GB have not quite been at their creative best. Nevertheless, the first part of the job is done.
For Japan, their hopes of automatic qualification take a hit, especially after Canada beat Chile earlier in the day to move to four points, with a cushion of three in second. However, they can still make it through if they defeat the South Americans on Tuesday to move to four points and, thus, qualify as the best two of the three third-place sides.
Follow all the latest updates from the Olympics and the reaction from Japan against Great Britain here:
Tokyo Olympics: Korean TB station sorry for stereotypes
A South Korean TV network has apologised after using national stereotypes, including an image of Chernobyl for Ukraine, during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
TV station MBC used the images and captions as each nation filed into the National Stadium on Friday for the start of the Games.
Some of the broadcaster’s clumsy but less controversial imagery including food such as pizza to depict Italy, salmon when introducing Norway and sushi for Japan.
But they also showed a picture of Chernobyl as Ukraine’s representatives walked out into the stadium, the scene of a devastating 1986 nuclear accident.
Full story:
South Korean TV network apologises for using national stereotypes in Olympics coverage
The broadcaster MBC showed a picture of Chernobyl as Ukraine’s representatives walked out into the stadium
Tokyo Olympics: Japan beats Austria in mixed doubles table tennis
The host nation opened with a victory against Austria in their first mixed doubles table tennis event of the Olympics. Also a favourite for gold, Japan’s Mizutani Jun and Ito Mima beat Austria’s Stefan Fegerl and Sofia Polcanova by 4-1.
Tokyo Olympics: Italy beat Canada
Italy on Saturday won the preliminary round against Canada by 3-2 in men’s volleyball.
After trailing in the first two sets by 26-28 and 18-25, the Italians bounced back to score a victory in the next three sets.
Tokyo Olympics: Australia win against Japan in men’s hockey
Hosts Japan are still yet to get their first win as Australia have beaten them 5-3 in Pool A of the men’s hockey.
Meanwhile, India have beaten New Zealand 3-2 in the second match of the group.
Tokyo Olympics: China win first gold
China’s Yang Qian has won the women’s 10m air rifle final, making her the first gold medallist of the 2020 Games.
She beat the Russian shooter Anastasiia Galashina in the final two, while Switzerland’s Nina Christen won bronze.
Tokyo Olympics: Team GB shooter Seonaid McIntosh misses out on first medal event
The 25-year-old British shooter Seonaid McIntosh finished 12th in qualifying for the 10m women’s air rifle, with only the top 8 going into the final. Edinburgh-born McIntosh also competes in the 50m Rifle 3 positions next Saturday.
She said she was pleased with her performance despite missing out on the final. “I struggled a bit with fatigue and the heat.“I’m mostly happy with how I fought through it and while the last couple of shots weren’t great, I’m pleased with how I performed,” she said.
McIntosh said: “If you’d have asked me a year ago I would have said this was a sighter for the 50m but the last year this event has got a lot better and I knew I was perfectly capable of winning a medal. “I don’t really know about next week - I need to process this first and work out what to take forward. It’s a very different event and it’s about keeping that fight.”
The shooter was honest about her chances of victory as she said: “I don’t think it was a factor, my sister has been in the same position and it’s not a thing you think about unless you let yourself.”
Tokyo Olympics: Men’s road race under way
Cycling has began at Tokyo 2020 with the men’s road race under way. The best in the world are taking on a testing route up Mount Fuji. The race’s profile covers a gruelling 234km and five peaks in total including the Fuji Sanroku climb, is the longest of the day at 14.3 kilometres and an average six per cent gradient – in short, a leg burner.
Who are the favourites for gold?
The nature of the course means this should be a reasonably open race amongst the world’s best climbers and puncheurs, particularly with so many favourites coming in off the back of the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar is an obvious contender, but could face competition within his own team with Primoz Roglic likely out to prove a point after being forced out of that race after injury. The climbing in the course may also suit Colombia – in the experienced Nairo Quintana, Esteban Chaves and Rigoberto Uran they have three fine ascenders, though in an era of great young cyclists Sergio Higuita could be due a landmark performance.
As he demonstrated during the Tour there is little that Wout van Aert cannot do and if an enlarged group reaches the finish line he is likely to have the fastest finish of those who have made it over the lumps. Don’t rule out an outsider like Bauke Mollema of the Netherlands, often there or thereabouts on this sort of parcours, or two punchy climbers at opposite ends of their careers in Belgian wunderkid Remco Evenepoel and old-stager Alejandro Valverde, who has just about everything but an Olympic medal on his palmares. All are previous winners of the Clasica de San Sebastian to which Evenepoel compared this course earlier in the week.
First medal event begins
The final of the women’s 10m air rifle has begun. It is also the first medal event of the Games. Earlier today, Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestan set a new Qualifying Olympic Record as she topped the qualification round.
Team GB win in badminton against France
Team GB’s Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith secure a 2-0 victory over France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue in badminton. The Brits win 21-18 and 21-17 in Group B.
Tokyo Olympics: day one
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is officially under way after yesterday’s opening ceremony when Naomi Osaka lit the flame in the National Stadium, signifying the start of the Games. In reality they have been going for a few days now with football and softball competitions getting going early to fit in the fixtures, but the schedule is now jam-packed with events.
Topping the bill today is the men’s cycling road race which will see the best in the world take on a testing route up Mount Fuji. The race’s profile covers a gruelling 234km and five peaks in total including the Fuji Sanroku climb, is the longest of the day at 14.3 kilometres and an average six per cent gradient – in short, a leg burner. Expect Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar to be in the mix for gold, fresh from winning yellow at the Tour de France.
Elsewhere the Games’ youngest competitor, Hend Zaza, is in action representing Syria in the table tennis. The 12-year-old prodigy beat someone four times her age to get her story of success in a war-torn country is undoubtedly one of the stories of the Olympics. From a British perspective Polly Swann and Helen Glover are competing in the rowing heats, Seonaid McIntosh is in action on the shooting range and Andy Murray will step on to court in the men’s tennis doubles alongside Joe Salisbury.
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