Sweden Can't Put Nail In England Coffin
June 20, 2006
England were held to a 2-2 draw by Sweden in Cologne on Tuesday and avoided a dreaded World Cup showdown with hosts Germany in a nerve-jangling match overshadowed by an injury to striker Michael Owen.
A scrambled 90th-minute header from Henrik Larsson earned Sweden a share of the spoils, but it was not enough to stop England from finishing at the top of Group A, though they extended their 38-year winless streak against the Scandinavians.
The result ensured England will face Ecuador in Stuttgart on Sunday, while Sweden play Germany in Munich on Saturday.
Substitute Steven Gerrard appeared to have headed in England's winner five minutes from time after Sweden's Marcus Allback cancelled out a stunning, long-range first-half strike from Joe Cole.
Despite producing some of their best soccer of the tournament for much of the game, England greeted the final whistle with relief, celebrating the end of a Swedish onslaught of chances on goal for much of the second half.
England's draw came at a cost however, with striker Owen carried off in agony in the match's first minute with what looked like a serious injury after the Newcastle striker collapsed to the ground in pain.
No goals for Trinidad and Tobago in finals debut
Trinidad and Tobago's dreams of survival into the second round of the World Cup came crashing down after a 2-0 defeat to already eliminated Paraguay in Kaiserslautern.
Julio Dos Santos unlocked the door to goal for the South Americans in the 25th minute, his effort back headed into Kelvin Jack's goal by T and T defender Brent Sancho.
Second half substitute Nelson Cuevas secured Paraguay's third place finish in Group G with his first goal of the tournament four minutes from the end.
It means T and T -- the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup -- leave their debut without scoring a goal but with their heads held high after holding Sweden to a draw and losing 2-0 to England in the last 10 minutes.
Thousands of fans had traveled to Germany to support the "Soca Warriors" on their World Cup adventure.
Own goal end T&T dreams
Paraguay found reward for their domination in the 25th minute after Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Roberto Acuna fired in a free kick from 25 yards.
Dos Santos headed the ball on, and, unfortunately for Trinidad, so did defender Sancho as the ball found its way past Jack into the net.
In the closing stages Trinidad appeared on the verge of snatching a draw, as Jones continued to inspire with a low goalmouth cross which landed beyond Stern John.
Paraguay soaked up the pressure well, and in the 85th minute they went on the offensive, eventually finding the net for a second time when second half substitute Cuevas beat Jack easily after a nice one-two.