| Next fixture: Japan v Great Britain Date: 24 July Kick-off: 11:30 BST Venue: Sapporo Dome, Sapporo |
| Coverage: Watch on BBC Red Button, iPlayer and online. Follow live text coverage on the website. Listen to commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live. |
Great Britain women’s football squad have “a lot of confidence” after beginning their Tokyo Games campaign with a win, says forward Lauren Hemp.
Two goals from Ellen White helped GB beat Chile in their Olympic opener and they face hosts Japan on Saturday.
GB are top of Group E and will progress to the knockout stages with victory over Japan.
“It’s amazing to think how far we can go,” said 20-year-old Hemp, who provided an assist against Chile.
“The team environment and culture is second to none. Everyone here is so talented and can bring so much to the team.
“Obviously, we’ll keep improving, keep progressing and hopefully we’ll reach the final and win gold in the end.
“But it’s little moments of magic that’s going to help us and there was a lot of good play in the game [on Wednesday]. We’re hoping to build on that and make it even better.”
‘I was pretty nervous’
Hemp was one of the standout performers in GB’s opening-day victory over Japan and her knockdown set up White for the first goal.
The Manchester City forward was making her debut at the Games and admitted she felt nervous before the match.
“I was pretty nervous going into the game, to be honest, but I think once I step on the pitch, it’s where I love to be and that’s where I feel myself and feel most comfortable,” she said.
“As soon as I started to kick a ball around all the nerves just left my body and I thought, ‘this is what I do best so go and show the world’.”
Arsenal forward Nikita Parris, who came on as a substitute in the win over Chile, said there are “things we need to work on” but it was a good start to the tournament.
They face a tougher test against 2011 world champions Japan, who are currently ranked 10th in the world.
“Obviously [Japan] are a strong opponent and are very technical,” she added.
“I expect them to come out a lot stronger than they have in previous games against us because they are at a home Games and want to progress.
“I think they played really well in spells [against Canada] so obviously we need to improve on our performance against Chile and concentrate on breaking down the passages of play Japan will try to do.”
Phone bans, ‘Gogglebox’ messages and their secret weapon
To prepare them for their opening day victory, the Team GB players were sent video messages from members of their family and friends.
Hemp joked the video from her parents was “embarrassing” but admitted it was nice to receive messages from back home.
“I thought Lauren’s [Hemp] was an episode off Googlebox to be honest,” joked Parris. “Mine was cool. I had messages from my family and also my old school, who sent in a load of messages from the kids.
“They had banners and it was really, really nice and impactful. Ultimately, I was in their shoes many years ago so hopefully I can inspire them to be in mine.”
Parris said GB midfielder Jill Scott has encouraged a “no phone policy” to improve team bonding, while they hope a first major tournament under performance coach Dawn Scott will give them the edge.
“I think [Dawn Scott’s] influential. There’s nobody better than her. Her attention to detail is second to none,” said Parris.
“She is amazing. I can’t speak more highly of her. I’m sure when we win back-to-back trophies, we’ll elaborate more [on what she does].”
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