In the first match of the Olympic women’s soccer competition, Sweden had to work harder than many anticipated as they beat South Africa by the final score of 1-0 Wednesday afternoon. Nilla Fischer’s tap-in of a ball mishandled by South African keeper Roxanne Barker on a Swedish corner kick in the 75th minute was the difference, making up for what proved to be a frustrating afternoon for Sweden offensively.
The Swedes produced far more opportunities of the two teams, including hitting the upper 90 with a shot early in the first half, but they were unable to get a shot past Barker until Fischer’s tally.