Sadio Mane of Senegal leaps over goalkeeper Jack Butland of Great Britain during the first-round men's soccer match between Great Britain and Senegal at Old Trafford on Thursday, July 26, in Manchester, England.The 2012 Olympics officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday in London, and the Games run through August 12. 
Marvin Sordell of Great Britain battles with Moussa Konate of Senegal during the first-round match between Great Britain and Senegal. 
Japanese fans show support for their team during the men's first-round match between Spain and Japan at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on Thursday. 
Great Britain's Craig Bellamy celebrates a goal during the first round Group A Match between Great Britain and Senegal on Thursday, July 26, in Manchester, England. 
Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani, right, slips a pass under United Arab Emirates defender Abdelaziz Sanqour, left, in Manchester on Thursday. Uruguay defeated the UAE, 2-1. 
Great Britain fans attend the Group A Match between Great Britain and Senegal on Thursday in Manchester. 
Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, right, celebrates after scoring a goal during the men's soccer match against Switzerland on Thursday in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. 
An open double-deck bus carries the Olympic torch down Oxford Street on Thursday in London. The grand finale will see the torch enter the Olympic Stadium, the last stage in a 70-day relay around the United Kingdom, and set the Olympic cauldron aflame Friday, symbolizing the beginning of the Games. 
Morocco's Houssine Kharja, right, controls the ball against Honduras' Roger Espinoza during a first-round Group D match Thursday in Glasgow, Scotland. 
Ismail Matar, center, of the United Arab Emirates celebrates with his teammates after scoring in a first-round Group A match against Uruguay on Thursday in Manchester, England. 
Spain's Juan Mata, left, challenges Hotaru Yamaguchi of Japan during a group D soccer match Thursday in Glasgow. 
The ExCeL exhibition center, one of the Olympic venues, is gearing up Thursday on the eve of the Games' opening ceremony. 
A Mexican fan watches the men's soccer match Thursday between Mexico and South Korea in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 
Spain's Inigo Martinez, left, fouls Kensuke Nagai of Japan during the match Thursday. 
Spain's Martinez gets a red card and is ejected during Thursday's match against Japan. 
Spectators take pictures Thursday at the Olympic Village in London. 
Abdelaziz Barrada of Morocco celebrates after scoring during a Group D soccer match against Honduras on Thursday in Glasgow. 
Security personnel patrol in front of Olympic Park in London on Thursday, a day ahead of the opening ceremony. Security concerns surfaced when a private contractor failed to provide enough staff. As a result, the government is deploying 18,200 troops to remedy the shortfall. 
The Honduras men's soccer team celebrates after scoring a goal against Morocco during a first-round match Thursday. 
Honduras' Jose Velasquez, left, gets challenged by Zakaria Labyad of Morocco during Thursday's match. 
Police patrol Westfield Stratford City shopping mall near London Olympic Park on Thursday. 
Spectators gather as the Olympic torch is carried from Islington Town Hall on Thursday. London cheered on the torch as it made its way past the city's historic landmarks. 
Amanda Clark of the U.S. sailing team chats with reporters Thursday during a press conference in Weymouth, England. 
Kim Song Hui of North Korea executes a bicycle kick while challenged by Natalia Ariza of Colombia during the first-round women's football competition at Hampden Park on Wednesday, July 25, in Glasgow, Scotland. 
Tower Bridge, adorned with the Olympic rings, is seen late Wednesday, two days before the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games. 
Hazleydi Rincon of Colombia and Kim Song Hui of North Korea chase the ball in a first-round women's football match. 
Brazil's Marta is in action with Cameroon's goalkeeper Annette Ngo Ndom during the first-round women's football competition at Millennium Stadium on Wednesday. 
North Korea's Kim Song Hui, in white, vies with Colombia's Natalia Ariza on July 25. 
North Korea's Jon Myong Hwa, in white, vies with Colombia's Sandra Sepulveda, in green, and Orianica Velasquez , in yellow, during first-round women's soccer play at Hampden Park on July 25. 
South African footballers hold a pennant as they line up before their first-round women's soccer match against Sweden on July 25 at The City of Coventry Stadium in Coventry, England. 
North Korean soccer coach Gun Sin Ui, at center in red shirt, waits for his team's match to begin at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday, July 25. The first-round match against Colombia was delayed. 
North Korean official Son Kwang-ho waits for the match against Colombia to begin. 
Brazil's Marta, No. 10, is tackled by Christine Manie of Cameroon during the first-round women's soccer match on July 25. 
U.S. player Megan Rapinoe jumps on teammate Alex Morgan, No. 13, after Morgan scored during their Group G Olympic women's soccer match against France at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday, July 25. 
American Carli Lloyd celebrates with teammate Amy Le Peilbet after scoring her team's third goal. 
Katie Hoyle, left, of New Zealand and teammate Betsy Hassett challenge Karen Carney of Great Britain during their match in the first round of women's soccer in the London 2012 Olympic Games at Millennium Stadium on Wednesday, July 25, in Cardiff, Wales. 
Sarah Gregorius of New Zealand reacts after Karen Bardsley of Great Britain saves the ball, barring her from scoring a goal. 
Britain's Stephanie Houghton celebrates a goal, adding the first point to the scoreboard, with teammate Ifeoma Diek. 
An Olympic lane at the Embankment in London. 
France's Louisa Necib, left, is challenged by American Carli Lloyd. 
Amber Hearn of New Zealand shoots for a goal. 
Casey Stoney of Great Britain goes up against Katie Hoyle of New Zealand. 
Britain's Anita Asante kicks off the match with Kelly Smith between Great Britain and New Zealand. 
A fan shows his support during the soccer match between Great Britain and New Zealand on Wednesday. 
Fans have their choice of Great Britain merchandise before the soccer games begin. 
The London Olympics logo in the equestrian arena in Greenwich, London, is seen behind a worker on a lift. 
A South Korean news crew reports from in front of the Tower Bridge where Olympics Rings hang. 
Badminton player Nathan Robertson poses during the handover of the Olympic Torch at Wembley Stadium two days before the Opening Ceremony. 
- Few specifics have been released about the opening ceremony
- Even a twitter hashtag has been created to keep details private
- U.S. lawmakers hold a moment of silence for the slain Israeli athletes
- Spain suffers a shocking defeat as men's football kicks off
London (CNN) -- One of the biggest secrets in London will finally be revealed Friday: what will happen at the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympic Games.
Friday night billons will finally get to see the extravaganza created by Danny Boyle, best known for the Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionare.
Few specifics have been released about the three-hour show. A big feat taking into account that thousands of performers and technicians are involved and there have been two dress rehearsals this week.
In fact, a twitter hashtag, #savethesurprise, has been started by Olympic organizers to help keep details private.
But some aspects of the show have leaked out.
The show's opening scene is dubbed "Green and Pleasant," after a line from poet William Blake's Jerusalem and will showcase an idyllic view of a British countryside.
The elaborate set will comprise rolling hills, fields and rivers, complete with picnicking families, sport being played on a village green and real farmyard animals.
Not many names of the celebrities that will be part of the ceremony have been released. But star footballer David Beckham has said he has a role in the spectacle.
It will begin at 9 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET) with the tolling of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, cast by the nearby Whitechapel Foundry.
Torch Travels up the Thames on last day
The Olympic torch will travel over water on its last day being carried on the royal barge Gloriana on the River Thames. The torch will then be the main attraction during the grand finale of the opening ceremony as it will be taken into Olympic Stadium and set the Olympic cauldron aflame, symbolizing the beginning of the Games.
On Thursday, it was taken past iconic London landmarks.
Crowds joined British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife as the torch reached the doorstep of their Downing Street home. Next, the torch went past the Big Ben clock tower, carried by 81-year-old native Londoner Florence Rowe, who says she fondly remembers the excitement of the 1948 London Olympics.
The last major stop was Buckingham Palace, where Prince William, his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry greeted the torchbearers.
Men's football starts
Some Olympic competition commenced ahead of the opening ceremony.
Thursday saw the start of the men's football competition, with global favorites Spain and Brazil playing, though not against each other.
Spain, which won the European Championship this year and the last World Cup, suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Japan in one of eight games scheduled Thursday.
Brazil -- which, like Spain, is considered a likely contender to win Olympic gold -- beat Egypt 3-2. Great Britain, playing football in the Olympics for the first time since 1960, scored a 1-1 draw in its match against Senegal.
Two notable absences are Argentina and the United States, neither of which qualified.
U.S. lawmakers remember Munich killings
Sixteen members of the U.S. House of Representatives held a moment of silence Thursday to honor the 11 Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics and urged Olympic leaders to hold a similar moment of silence at Friday's opening ceremony.
American Jewish leaders and the widow of one of the Israeli athletes have made a similar plea.
The International Olympic Committee says it will honor the slain athletes at a ceremony in September for the 40th anniversary, but so far there are no plans for an official remembrance Friday.
The Israeli athletes were killed after eight Palestinian terrorists disguised in track suits broke into the Olympic Village in Munich, demanding the release of 200 Arab inmates from Israeli prisons.
Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
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