Norway undone by brilliant Lilly

The opening day of the prestigious Four Nations Cup in China was all about Kristine Lilly as the United States captain marked her 300th cap with an inspirational performance and a goal in a 3-1 victory against Norway.

Most caps
This was the 39th meeting of the only two countries to have won the world championship and Olympic gold, a series of games the US now lead for the first time since 1990. Lilly - the most capped footballer ever - opened the scoring in the 73rd minute before creating a goal for Shannon Boxx four minutes later.

Rønning penalty
Norway rallied and were back in contention with eight minutes remaining as Trine Rønning fired in a penalty after Leslie Osborne was adjudged to have handled in the area. Any hopes the European side had of salvaging a draw were dashed soon after, however, as Abby Wambach made it 3-1 in favour of the US.

Berntsen praise
Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen said: "It was a very well fought game by both teams, but the US have a lot of very good players. I want to congratulate Kristine Lilly on her performance. It was a tremendous goal." Lilly added: "I love being part of the team, and I love winning - that's what keeps me coming back."

Late leveller
The US next meet a France side boosted by a fine performance of their own in drawing 1-1 against the hosts. Elisabeth Loisel's side opened the scoring through Elise Bussaglia in the 71st minute, and were on course for victory before Han Duan equalised for China in added time. Norway also meet China on Friday.