THE first Olympics in Brazil are underway — with soccer games in the sport’s spiritual home and a win for the hosts.

    In Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Stadium, the Brazilian women’s team eased to a 3-0 victory over China at the start of its quest for a first Olympic gold.

    It’s an early sporting high for Brazil, where reservations about the cost of bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time have produced violent reactions.

    Brazil embarked on its Olympics bid at a time of prosperity in 2006, but the Games are opening with the country in the grip of its worst recession in decades.

    But there was a cause for celebrations on the soccer field as headers from Monica and Cristiane either side of Andressa Alves’ 59th-minute strike secured Brazil’s opening win.

    The Olympic Stadium was fuller than earlier in the day when Sweden beat South Africa 1-0 in the other Group E game but the majority of seats did not appear to be filled.

    The stadium is also known as Joao Havelange Stadium, named after the 100-year-old Brazilian who led soccer’s governing body FIFA for 24 years. Havelange stepped down as honorary president of FIFA in 2013 to avoid possible suspension for taking kickbacks.

    The soccer in Sao Paulo saw a piece of Olympic history created by Canada. Janine Beckie took only 20 seconds to make a mark on her third Summer Games by scoring the fastest goal ever at the Olympics in a 2-0 win over Australia. It was nine seconds faster than Oribe Peralta’s strike for Mexico in the men’s gold medal match against Brazil four years ago in London.

    Canada had to cope from the 19th minute with only 10 women after Shelina Zadorsky was sent off for dragging down Michelle Heyman on her way to goal. But Canada still prevented Australia from equalizing and captain Christine Sinclair added a second in the 78th.

    In another match, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan scored a goal in each half as the U.S. women’s 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 Lloyd’s goal.

    (SD-Agencies)