Sonstiges » both played shots without looking

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan scored a goal in each half as the U.S. womens soccer team defeated New Zealand 2-0 in its debut at the Rio Games on Wednesday, getting off to a solid start in its attempt to win a fourth straight Olympic gold medal.Lloyd put the Americans ahead with a header in the ninth minute and Morgan added to the lead with a low shot from inside the area less than a minute into the second half at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.That was the best way we could have started, said Tobin Heath, who made the cross that led to Lloyds goal. We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of determination. I think in that regards we put our best foot forward and got that goal and I think that helped propel us throughout the game.The U.S. dominated from the start to earn the convincing victory and remain unbeaten in 2016, with 14 shutouts and only one draw in 16 games.I was really pleased that we got the clean sheet, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. I thought we moved the ball against a very determined team.Near the end of the game, many of the nearly 10,000 fans at the stadium chanted Zika, Zika at goalkeeper Hope Solo, who before coming to the Olympics upset some Brazilians by tweeting a photo of herself wearing a hat with mosquito netting in a reference to the virus. The chants were repeated after the final whistle.Im glad the fans had fun, Solo said. And if they had fun at my expense, more power to them.The Americans are trying to become the first team to win the Olympics after succeeding at the World Cup. The Olympic tournament is the first major competition for the U.S. since the retirement of key players such as Abby Wambach and Lauren Holiday following last years world title in Canada.The revamped Americans next play France on Saturday, again at the Mineirao.France and Colombia play the other Group G match later Wednesday, also in Belo Horizonte.New Zealand, playing in its third consecutive Olympics, barely threatened the U.S. at the Mineirao, which holds more than 60,000 spectators.Lloyd opened the scoring after Heath beat a couple of defenders just outside the area before making a cross to the far post, where the U.S. captain outjumped a defender to head the ball into the other corner and score her seventh Olympic goal. Lloyd has scored in three straight Olympics, including in the finals both in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.It was the 89th goal in 225 appearances for the midfielder, who is the most-capped player at the Olympic tournament. She has 13 Olympic appearances, tied with Solo for the most on the team.Morgan scored the second goal with a low shot by the near post after receiving a pass by Morgan Brian inside the area. It was Morgans 12th goal of the year, and fifth at Olympic tournaments.The U.S. is trying to win its fifth gold medal since womens soccer became an Olympic sport in 1996 in Atlanta. The only time it didnt win the Olympics was in 2000 in Sydney, when it lost the final to Norway.The Americans have a fresh team with 11 Olympic newcomers, although many who made it to Rio were in the World Cup-winning squad in Canada last year.In addition to playing with a younger team, the U.S. arrived in Rio with some players recovering from injuries, including regular starter Megan Rapinoe, who was on the bench the entire match on Wednesday.Mallory Pugh, 18, started the game to become the youngest American womens player to start in an Olympic match.The U.S. announced earlier Wednesday that its first two friendlies after the Olympics will be against Thailand on Sept. 15 in Columbus, Ohio, and against the Netherlands on Sept. 18 in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoniMike Bibby Jersey . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Tyler Lydon Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Harrison-Barnes-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Caleb Swanigan Kings Jersey .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Justin James Kings Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game.Hes arguably the most naturally gifted tennis player on the circuit, yet Gael Monfils has little to show for in what has been a topsy-turvy career.The 30-year-old entertains his fans but regularly frustrates coaches and experts of the game due to his very unique take on tennis. Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals November 13, 2016, 6:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass But when the Frenchman is on song, you just cant take our eyes off the man they call La Monf. Monfils has qualified for ATP World Tour Finals for the first time and arrives at Londons O2 Arena as the elder statesman of the eight players on show this year. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. After the most rewarding season of his professional career, the man from the outskirts of Paris, is ready to show spectators what theyve been missing - an ultimate showman - and a genuine dark horse contender for the season-ending tournament. The livewire Frenchman is ready to put on a show at Londons O2 His elasticated reach and incredible leaps will no doubt leave mouths wide open in a group containing Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic.The US Open semi-final rematch against Djokovic is the one match in the group everyone will have their beady eye on. Players to win Tour Finals on debut: 1998 Alex Corretja 1978 John McEnroe 1974 Guillermo Vilas 1971 Ilie Nastase 1970 Stan Smith Monfils tried every trick he had to upset the Serbs rhythm at Flushing Meadows - without success - and hes only too aware that he will have to change his game plan if hes to record his first every victory over Djokovic in 14 attempts.I cant wait to take to the court and play my game, said a beaming Monfils during a press conference at the O2 on Friday. I have to face Novak and definitely this offers me one more chance to beat him for the first time. We take a look at the players that might cause an upset in Paris.dddddddddddd Here we look at the showman that is Gael Monfils Ive played him twice this year and I think I will definitely have to change my game plan, but I will be ready for him.Monfils has demonstrated a desire to win by securing his first Tour title in two years with victory in Washington.He has excelled on the Tour this year, but has often been the nearly man, losing finals in Rotterdam and Monte Carlo as well as reaching semi-finals in Toronto, the US Open and more recently in Japan.A year ago he was ranked 22, having just hired Mikael Tillstrom as his new coach, so a climb of 16 spots shows a marked improvement under the Swedes tutelage. Monfils speaks to the media at the O2 Arena Sky Sports tennis analyst Annabel Croft has praised the work Tillstrom has done with Monfils: Hes harnessing the talent and rawness, but still allowing a bit of that flair to flourish and also make him more consistent as well.Monfils has long had the talent to place himself among the worlds elite in the sport, but he now feels has the mentality not just to go deep, but to win major titles. Monfils Tennis Profiles: Gael Monfils The work we put on with my team this year has been good, said Monfils. The change that we made was good and I had to make some sacrifices, but it was worth it.When you make a sacrifice, you can never know the value to measure it. It showed me that everything I made this year was good and helped me to continue in that way. Monfils and Vasek Pospisil both played shots without looking in this entertaining rally at the Toronto Masters One thing is for sure, Monfils the man is more in tune with himself and ready to prove to the world that he is a genuine contender in the last tournament of the season, so beware of a Gael force heading to the banks of the River Thames.Check our game-by-game coverage from all group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals in London - including Gael Monfils - on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis.Also See:Monfils profileTour Finals: Panel predictionsShots to watch at the O2World Tour Finals on Sky Sports ' ' '