U.S. women lose in Olympic opener

QINHUANGDAO, China, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Two goals in the first four minutes sent Norway to a stunning 2-0 victory over the United States on the first day of the Olympic women's soccer tournament.

Leni Larsen Kaurin and Melissa Wiik produced scores for the Norwegians, who then lapsed into a defensive posture that stifled the defending champion Americans' hopes for a comeback.

Although the loss Wednesday didn't end the United States' medal aspirations, Team USA will likely need a win and a tie in its two remaining Group G games to reach the quarterfinals.

The United States was playing without star Abby Wambach, who suffered a broken leg last month in a game against Brazil. She has scored 99 career international goals.

The other Group G game Wednesday, played in Qinhuangdao, saw Japan rally for two late goals to tie New Zealand 2-2. The Americans will play Japan on Saturday.

In Group E games played in Tianjin, Canada defeated Argentina 2-1 and China thrilled the home crowd by defeating Sweden 2-1. In Group F, contested in Shenyang, Brazil and Germany played to a 0-0 tie and North Korea defeated Nigeria 1-0.

The men's soccer tournament begins Thursday on the eve of the opening ceremonies.