South Korea Holds Off Ghana in Men's Football:
South Korea took advantage of a penalty kick while holding off
a high-powered Ghana team in a 1-0 decision in opening round Group
C men's Olympic Football. YOON Jong-Hwan netted a penalty
in the 41st minute for the first-round win before a crowd of 45,946
at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. Though
they were outshot by an incredible 25-8 margin, the South Koreans
managed to hold off the high-octane Ghana team, the first African
nation to win an Olympic football medal when it took the bronze
medal four years ago. Korean goalkeeper SEO Dong-Myung made 13
saves against Ghana's offense. Korea, co-leaders in Group C with
Mexico, meet the Mexican squad on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala.
Ghana's next opponent will be Italy on Tuesday in Washington,
D.C. Final Score: KOR 1, GHA 0
Men's Football -- Match 6, Group C
Mexico Downs Italy in Men's Football: A
goal by Francisco PALENCIA with seven minutes remaining
gave Mexico a 1-0 victory over Italy in men's Olympic football
on Sunday in Birmingham, Ala. During the game before 44,211 fans
in 90-degree heat at Legion Field, Mexico pressed throughout.
After multitude scoring chances, the Italians finally broke in
the 83rd minute. PALENCIA took Duilio DAVINO'S left-wing center
and drove the ball low past diving Italian goalkeeper Gianluca
PAGLIUCA. The win made Mexico the co-leader atop Group C standings
with South Korea who it will face in Birmingham on Tuesday. Final
Score: MEX 1, ITA 0
Men's Football -- Match 7, Group D
Japan Shocks Favored Brazil in Men's Football:
A second half goal by Teruyoshi ITO propelled
Japan to a 1-0 upset of heavily-favored Brazil before 46,713 fans
at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. Japan's victory was the biggest
so far in first-round men's Olympic football play. ITO's winning
goal came in the 72nd minute. He ran onto a long ball at the same
time a Brazilian defender ran into his own goalkeeper, knocking
him to the ground as ITO put the ball into the net. Brazil outshot
Japan by a 28-4 margin. Japan, the only Asian nation to win a
medal in football, makes its first appearance in the Olympic tournament
since taking the bronze medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico
City. Japan's next opponent is Nigeria on Tuesday in Orlando,
Fla. Brazil will face Hungary in Miami. Final Score: JPN
1, BRA 0
Japan Goalkeeper Yoshikatsu KAWAGUCHI did not hold
high hopes of beating Brazil, "No. Never. If we tied the
game it would be good enough,"
Men's Football -- Match 8, Group D
Nigeria Earns First Olympic Win in Men's Football:
Despite a last-minute coaching switch,
Nigeria won its first Olympic Games match in men's football with
a 1-0 victory over Hungary in Group D play on Sunday in Orlando,
Fla. Just before the match began, the Nigerian Football Federation
replaced coach Willie BAZUAYE with technical advisor Johannes
BONFRERE, who will guide the Nigerian team through the rest of
the tournament. Before a Florida Citrus Bowl crowd of 25,303,
Nigeria, making its first Olympic football appearance since 1968,
won its first ever Olympic Games match after losing seven and
drawing two in previous appearances. The match's lone goal came
from Nwahko KANU. Final Score: NGR 1, HUN 0
Brazil Ties Co-Favorite Norway in Women's Football:
Defending world champion Norway was stunned on Sunday by a miraculous
last-minute goal by Brazil which produced a 2-2 tie in first round
women's Olympic football at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
in Washington, D.C. Norway entered the eight-team tournament
as a co-favorite with the United States for the gold medal but
Brazil spoiled Norway's plans. The game-tying goal came on PLETINHA'S
second goal of the contest, a deflected shot which sailed just
over the arms of goalkeeper Bente NORDBY in the 90th minute. Given
a feed from ROSELI, PLETINHA'S shot was blocked by Nina ANDERSEN,
but the ball managed to float just under the crossbar to tie the
game. The Norwegians' first goal came from Linda MEDALEN who hooked
a shot away from Brazilian goalkeeper MEG and banked it off the
left goalpost and into the net in the 32nd minute. Brazil's first
goal came on a corner kick in which PLETINHA put in ROSELI's cross
from three yards. Norway regained the lead when Ann AARONES headed
a shot off a free kick, diverted in front by MEDALEN'S bicycle
kick. Norway's next test comes Tuesday in Washington, D.C. against
Germany. Final Score: NOR 2, BRA 2
Mohr Guides Germany to Historic Women's Football
Win: Heidi MOHR scored a pair of goals,
including the decisive score in the 62nd minute, as Germany held
off Japan 3-2 in the first women's Olympic football contest. An
estimated crowd of 30,000 was at Legion Field in Birmingham,
Ala. to witness the historic game. The first women's goal was
scored by Germany's Bettina WIEGMANN in the fifth minute. Japan's
Asako TAKAKURA evened the match at 1-1 before MOHR scored her
first of two goals. With the match tied 1-1 in the 29th minute,
Mohr rushed down the right sideline and hit a sharp centering
pass that bounced off Japanese defender Yumi TOMEI'S chest, ricocheted
off the crossbar, back off TOMEI and into the net for a 2-1 German
lead. Japan tied the score again when Akemi NODA received Futabi
KIOKA'S corner kick and booted it into the net in the 33rd minute.
MOHR'S decisive go-ahead goal came when she pushed the ball to
the brink of the penalty area and found the upper right corner
of the net past Japanese goalkeeper Junko OZAWA. Germany will
next face gold medal co-favorite Norway on Tuesday in Washington,
D.C. while Japan meets Brazil in Birmingham, Ala. Final Score:
GER 3, JPN 2
U.S. Women's Football Blanks Denmark: Women's
Olympic Football made its Olympic debut Sunday as the favored
United States shut out Denmark 3-0 in first round action in Orlando,
Fla. The aggressive U.S. squad outshot Denmark 24-0 before the
largest crowd ever to watch the national team on American soil.
The largest crowd to watch a U.S. women's national team in this
country before Sunday was 8,975. More than 20,000 in the half-filled
Florida Citrus Bowl watched the U.S. control the match from the
beginning and broke through for goals by Tisha VENTURINI and Mia
HAMM late in the first half. HAMM also assisted on Tiffany MILBRETT'S
goal that put the United States up 3-0 less than four minutes
into the second half. Denmark's defense held up for 30 minutes
before wilting in the sweltering Florida heat which was 94 degrees
at kickoff. The U.S. team, playing the first of three preliminary-round
games in five days, has been training near Orlando since January
to get acclimated to the climate. The United States resumes its
gold medal pursuit against Sweden on Tuesday while Denmark will
face China on Tuesday in Miami. Final Score: USA 3, DEN 0
China Shuts Out Sweden in Women's Football: Goals
by SHI Guihong and ZHAO Lihong within a two-minute span led China
to a 2-0 win over Sweden in the first round of women's Olympic
football in Miami, Fla. SHI beat Swedish goalkeeper Annelie NILSSON
from the right side in the 30th minute for China's first score.
About two minutes later, ZHAO dribbled across the center of the
penalty box and volleyed from the left side, putting the ball
in the upper right corner over NILSSON. For the second time in
two days at the Orange Bowl, a player received a red card. Anna
POHJANEN was ejected and under Olympic rules will miss the next
match which is against the United States on Tuesday. China will
play Denmark on Tuesday in Miami. Final Score: CHN 2, SWE 0
Return to the Olympic News Menu
Select another day:
ITA vs. MEX
BRA vs. JPN
HUN vs. NGR
Women's Football -- Match 1, Group F
NOR vs. BRA
Women's Football -- Match 2, Group F
GER vs. JPN
Women's Football -- Match 3, Group E
USA vs. DEN
Women's Football -- Match 4, Group E
SWE vs. CHN
This is an official publication of the Atlanta
Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.
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Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.