Four Bayern Munich Frauen players were involved in the Matchday One action at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The start of the group stage began on Wednesday with 12 countries contesting for the gold medal.
The Bayern players involved in the opening fixtures included Lineth Beerensteyn, Saki Kumagai, Hanna Glas, and Sofia Jakobsson. Here’s how each player fared in their country’s respective matches.
Beerensteyn and Netherlands cruise to victory
It was a comfortable victory for the Netherlands as they defeated Zambia 10-3. Beerensteyn was involved in the goal scoring with one goal and one assist being recorded by the Bayern player.
Although she was not in the starting 11, she made the most of her second-half substitute appearance to help contribute to a massive opening match victory. Beerensteyn assisted Jill Roord’s 64th-minute goal and then scored a goal of her own in the 75th minute.
The Netherlands will face Brazil next on Matchday Two which could decide the group winner as Brazil won their opening fixture as well. Having reached the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in 2019, the Dutch are certainly one of the favorites to claim the gold medal and are off to a fantastic start in the Olympics.
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Sweden shocks the United States
Glas and Jakobsson both contributed to Sweden’s unexpected 3-0 win over the United States. The two Bayern players each registered an assist to help earn their country all three points against the reigning World Cup champions.
Sweden sits atop their group after Matchday One. They will play Australia on Matchday Two in another high-profile fixture. Much like Beerensteyn and the Netherlands, the Swedish National Team is among the favorites to win a medal as the Nordic country finished in third place at the 2019 World Cup.
Japan earns a point in their opening fixture
Kumagai and Japan were held to a point in their opening match against Canada. The 30-year-old was named to the starting 11 and played all 90 minutes. The host nation will face Great Britain in their second match of the group stage.
Despite only earning one point from their first fixture, Japan can also qualify as a third-place team for the quarterfinal phase of the competition. For this reason, a draw is not the worst result for them moving forward in the group stage.