World number 1 Spain has been defeated in opening round of London Olympic play by Japan 1-0. In the Olympic Group D fixture at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Spain fell victim to a goal in the 34th minute by Yuki Otsu of Japan.
The ten man Spanish squad dominated the first 25 minutes of the game, having missed many scoring opportunities.
Spain was given a red card and reduced to 10 men when Inigo Martinez obstructed a goal scoring opportunity for Japanese goal scorer Nagai.
Spain with their backs against the wall came out in the second half recharged, but the Japanese defense proved to be too much, stopping many of the Spanish efforts to score.
Next up for Japan is Morocco, and Spain will take on Honduras.
The Goal scored by Yuki Otsu:
Spain was fresh off winning the Euro Cup with a 4-0 win over Italy in the Championship game continuing their dominance of Soccer earlier in July.
For more information on the Olympic Soccer Grouping’s check out the official Olympic 2012 website. The United States men’s team failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.
