Japan stun Spain at Hampden
- Thursday,
Honduras and Morocco kicked off the men's Olympic football campaign in entertaining fashion, playing out an enthralling 2-2 draw at Hampden Park.
The African side broke the deadlock six minutes before the interval, with Abdelaziz Barrada sweeping home a superb half-volley from the edge of the box.
A quickfire brace from Honduran forward Jerry Bengtson after the break turned the tie on its head, before Sporting Lisbon winger Zakaria Labyad earned his team a deserved share of the spoils with a smart looped finish in the 67th minute.
However, Morocco were forced to play the last 18 minutes with ten men after Zakarya Bergdich was dismissed for kicking out at Mario Martinez.
Elsewhere in Group D, much-fancied Spain slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Japan.
The world and European champions, whose starting line-up included Euro 2012 winners Javi Martinez, Juan Mata and Jordi Alba, fell behind when Yuki Otsu poked the ball beyond David De Gea following poor marking in the Spanish box.
And things got from bad to worse for the Iberian side when Iñigo Martinez was sent off for a professional foul just before half-time.
Japan had several gilt-edged chances in the second half to put the game beyond Spain's reach, but Otsu first half-strike proved to be enough to seal the first upset of the tournament.
In Group B, Mexico and South Korea earned a point each after a hard-fought goalless draw at St James's Park. South Korea dominated the proceedings, but they could not convert their superiority into goals.
Mexico winger Giovani Dos Santos was presented with a great chance to snatch all three points late on, but his volley landed wide of the post.
In the other Group B game, Gabon marked their Olympic football debut with an impressive 1-1 draw against Switzerland at St. James's Park.
Switzerland took the lead after five minutes when Admir Mehmedi coolly tucked away his penalty following a foul on Innocent Emeghara inside the box, before Pierre Aubameyang equalised in first-half stoppage time. And Swiss midfielder Oliver Buff was shown a red card - the third of the tournament so far - late on when he collected a second booking for simulation in the Gabon box.
Belarus kicked off their Olympic campaign with a 1-0 win against New Zealand. Defender Dmitry Baga's header on the stroke of half-time proved to be the difference between the two sides during their Group C clash at the City of Coventry Stadium.
Meanwhile, Brazil brought their Samba style to the Millennium Stadium as they started with a 3-2 win against Egypt.
Brazil raced into a three-goal lead within the first 30 minutes, with Manchester United full-back Rafael, Leandro Damiao and Neymar all finding the net to give the South American side a seemingly unassailable lead.
However, Egypt rallied after half-time, and Mohamed Aboutrika and Mohamed Salah both scored to give Brazil a second-half scare.
