Historic Olympic debut against Japan

Spain’s golden generation of women’s footballers will make history once again today in the coastal city of Nantes. Winning a World Cup seemed impossible, continuing the streak with the UEFA Nations League success seemed unreal, but it was achieved. And, as if that were not enough, Montse Tomé’s team has reached another milestone for national football: making their Olympic debut.

Spain vs. Japan, at 5:00 PM on La 1 of TVE.

The journey here hasn’t been easy, requiring many plans to be executed correctly and various obstacles to be hurdled, but the day has finally arrived and now it’s time for this team to roll up their sleeves and get down to doing what these girls do best, making history. The debut will be against the ever-demanding and combative Japan team, a match that takes place at the Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes), a day before the Olympic flame lights up the sky over Paris.

“We accept and understand the expectations on the team,” said Irene Paredes, the team captain, yesterday. However, she shied away from the favourites tag that Spain has been given due to their recent successes. “We are making our debut at the Olympics and our only obligation is to give it our all.”

The most recent memory against Japan is somewhat bittersweet because the Japanese team comfortably defeated Spain in that historic World Cup where Spain ended up winning the star on their chest. “That was a tough defeat, but we believe there’s always something to learn from it,” Paredes said.

At the Olympics, there are no easy rivals or matches you can take easy. All the teams here have earned their right to be here, which means we must bring our best from the very first minute.

“I trust in our strengths,” the coach said in the pre-match press conference. “We have a great group of players and a very recognisable style of play.” While she acknowledges that Japan has been mentioned during the team’s training camp in the days leading up to the match, Tomé is clear that the objective is to “focus” on themselves.

Starting at 5:00 PM, Spain and Japan will kick off women’s football at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The wait is over.