Great Britain vs. Senegal: Team GB Risks Meltdown Against Underdog Senegalese

Defeat is not an option for Great Britain.

When Team GB faces off vs. Senegal in the first round of the 2012 Summer Olympics on Thursday, they must take care of business. Simply too much is at stake to suffer a letdown.

No competition features more pressure than the Olympics. It’s the most prestigious on the planet and it gives nations just one chance every four years to prove their athletic superiority. While every event holds the same weight, each sport involves a different type of intensity.

For football, a bunch of players 23 years old or younger are thrown on the field to represent their country. And the three footballers that are older than 23 have even more responsibility given that they’re supposed to be the best of the best. Throw in the fact that Great Britain is the Olympic host, and the pressure on the British club is through the roof.

After taking a 2-0 thrashing at the hands of Brazil in an international friendly, Team GB can’t feel too confident right now. Sure, it’s Brazil—arguably the most talented Olympic football team in recent memory. But while Great Britain’s struggles against the Brazilians can be justified due to the level of competition, a loss to Senegal would only affirm its weaknesses.

According to Bovada, Great Britain is currently the favorite to win Group A. Losing to Senegal, though, a nine-to-one underdog, would be crippling to its confidence. On top of that, it would be in win-or-go-home mode and would eventually be forced to face off against a solid Uruguay team.

Those are circumstances the British would love to avoid at all cost.

Team GB will likely defeat Senegal on Thursday, but if it fails, the embarrassment that a collapse would cause the host country after not fielding a football team for 40 years would be unbearable.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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