It was an eventful day in women’s football, as the headline result was Sweden’s 3-0 victory over the USA. Stina Blackstenius scored twice for the Swedes before Lina Hurtig netted off the bench to put the cherry on top, sealing a repeat upset of Sweden’s 2016 triumph over the USWNT. This time, the reigning world champions do have time to bounce back.
From an African perspective, this was a day which we may look back on for some time. The Netherlands swept Zambia aside 10-3, but we may come to remember this game as the one in which Barbra Banda announced herself to the world with a sensational hat-trick.
In softball, there were wins for Canada and the USA, while Japan got off to a fine start on home soil with an 8-1 victory over Australia.