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FOOTBALL

China defeat Sweden in Olympic opener

Sweden have a mountain to climb if they are to advance beyond the group stages in Beijing after a 2-1 defeat to hosts China on day one of the Olympic women's football tournament, two days before the Games are officially opened.

Published: 6 August 2008 17:50 CEST

The Swedes got off to the worst possible start when Na Zhang sent a piledriver whizzing past keeper Hedvig Lindahl in the sixth minute.

Thomas Dennerby’s side clawed their way back into the game and were rewarded with star striker Lotta Schelin slotted home an equalizer shortly before the break.

But it was not to be Sweden’s day, with Duan Huan snatching a winner for the ‘Steel Roses’ in the 72nd minute.

Wednesday’s other Group E game saw Canada record a 2-1 win over Argentina, Sweden’s next opponents on Saturday.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

Published: 4 March 2024 13:41 CET
VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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