• A 75th minute goal by Nilla Fischer saw the South African women’s football team go down 1-0 to Sweden here on Wednesday.

It was the first sporting action of the 2016 Rio Olympics, reports sascoc.co.za.

Four years ago Banyana Banyana also met Sweden in their first match and went down 1-4 on that occasion.

Sweden dominated for much of the play in the Group E match on a cool Brazilian afternoon and SA keeper Roxy Barker was in frequent action.

Tigerish midfielder Steph Malherbe stood out for the South Africans but chances were few and far between with the strikers often too isolated and ineffectual against the tall Swedish backline.

Next up for the South Africans is a match against China at the same venue on Saturday at midnight.