2012 London Olympics: Men's football kicks off
Craig Bellamy of Great Britain in action with Saliou Ciss of Senegal during the Men's Football first round Group A Match of the London 2012 Olympic Games between Great Britain and Senegal, at Old Trafford on July 26, 2012 in Manchester, …
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Posted: 07/26/2012
While the Games will officially begin with the cauldron lighting at ceremony Friday at Olympic Stadium, some events have already begun.
Thursday saw the start of the men's football competition, with global favorites Spain and Brazil playing, though not against each other.
Spain, which won the European Championship this year and the last World Cup, suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Japan in one of eight games scheduled Thursday.
Brazil -- which, like Spain, is considered a likely contender to win Olympic gold -- beat Egypt 3-2. Great Britain, playing football in the Olympics for the first time since 1960, scored a 1-1 draw in its match against Senegal.
Two notable absences are Argentina and the United States, neither of which qualified.
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