Great Britain's home Olympic campaign got off to a shaky start as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Senegal this evening.
Craig Bellamy gave Team GB the lead in the first half, latching on to a Ryan Giggs free kick, but Moussa Konate responded in the second period to level the sides.
Manager Stuart Pearce will take both positives and negatives from the display as he looks forward to his side's two remaining fixtures.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the much-anticipated return of Britain to Olympic football.
Great Britain's statistics:
Shots 5
On target 4
Possession 55%
Corners 2
Fouls 7
Senegal's statistics:
Shots 18
On target 6
Possession 45%
Corners 3
Fouls 18
Was the result fair?
Yes, a draw was probably the right result. Great Britain perhaps edged the first half but Senegal were largely in control of the second. Neither side would have been wholly undeserving winners or losers but, overall the two sides were more or less even.
Great Britain's performance
Not exactly awe-inspiring, but solid enough. There were glimpses of the quality that we know some of the players possess, not least from Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs who combined for the goal, but far from the complete package. The pre-tournament favourites won't exactly be quaking in their boots.
Senegal's performance
Senegal were certainly the stronger team in the second half, and will fancy their chances of getting out of the group on the back of this performance. Like Britain, though, it was not a perfect showing by the Africans and they will most likely have to improve against the likes of Uruguay.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Moussa Konate. The 19-year-old striker looked lively throughout and deserved his goal. No-one really stood head and shoulders above the rest for either side, but Konate is as deserving as anyone of the man of the match award.
Referee's performance
Questionable. He took a very lenient stance on the game and looked unwilling to bring out any cards. The big decision, however, was denying Craig Bellamy a stone wall penalty. Poor decision which may have cost Britain the match.
Biggest gaffe of the game
Marvin Sordell's miss in the closing stages of the match gets the gaffe of the game vote. With the scores tied at 1-1, Aaron Ramsey found Sordell in the box, but the striker could only find the crossbar when he should have scored.
What next?
Great Britain: Next up for Team GB are the UAE, who will be eager to bounce back from their defeat to Uruguay earlier today. A win could be vital for both team's survival.
Senegal: Senegal face a tough test against group leaders Uruguay in their next match, which will take place at 5pm on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
