Great Britain head into their second fixture at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and this time out they face hosts Japan, knowing victory will guarantee a spot in the last eight.
Hege Riise’s side saw off Chile in their opening game, an Ellen White brace yielding a 2-0 victory - and a top-two finish will be theirs if another three points follows here, after Japan themselves only drew 1-1 with Canada in the first round of matches. The head coach was impressed by the showing in that win over the South Americans, while knowing there’s scope for improvement, too. “How we started the game was exceptional,” she said after Team GB’s win. “The first 30 minutes were the best we’ve played and we kept it going. It wasn’t pretty for the whole game but we fought and we managed to get the result we wanted.”
Now, the depth and talent on show throughout the squad could come to the fore, with changes expected for this fixture for Great Britain. For the hosts, the pressure is on to pick up a positive result and ensure they don’t make a quick exit - though with a couple of best third-place finishers also set to reach the quarter-finals, it won’t be a case of all hope lost if they suffer defeat.
Follow all the latest updates from the Olympics and the live action from Japan against Great Britain here:
