[WC] Group B -> 1/England - 2/Sweden

10/06
England 1-0 Paraguay (3 PM)
Trinidad & T. 0-0 Sweden (6 PM)

15/06
England 2-0 Trinidad & T. (6 PM)
Sweden 1-0 Paraguay (9 PM)

20/06
England - Sweden (9 PM)
Trinidad &T. - Paraguay (9 PM)

1- England 7 pts +3
2- Sweden 5 pts +1
4- Paraguay 3 pts E
3- T&T 1 pt -4

Blue : qualified
Red : eliminated

It wouldn't surprise me if Paraguay beat one of those two European powers. In the recent past, they've played some tough opposition, and earned some good results. At a World Cup, where more unexpected results are to be expected, because of team spirit and collective belief, I can see Paraguay advancing to the second round.

England and Sweden go through, making the last game a decider of who will play Germany/Poland

I say England wins this.

England should win this group with or without Rooney

I think it's pretty even between Sweden, Paraguay, and England. On paper England should win this, but they haven't really convinced me that they can translate all that talant to something that really works. Sweden haven't lost against England for like 30-40 years, and Paraguay has shown in the qulify that they can play with the best. If England wins their first game against Paraguay, they are almost a lock to go thrue. But if Paraguay manage to draw or even win, this group is as wide open as ever.
I do however believe that England will win the group on goal diffrence, with Sweden or Paraguay a close second.

Yeah Sweden have England's number. It's a coin toss who finishes top. No disrespect to Paraguay but this is one of the easiest groups to call.

Rooney (http://tsn.ca/tsn/news_story.asp?id=168096)

Didn't Paraguay get through group play in 2002?

I say England and Sweden but Paraguay will push them big time. T and T will be lucky to score a goal in my opinion

england and sweden, no doubt

I irrationally chose a Swedish upset to win the whole group.

MAKE ME PROUD, ZLATAN!

Oh yeah, England gets through too.

I say England and Sweden make it through. Come on Sweden!! :handclap:

I irrationally chose a Swedish upset to win the whole group.

MAKE ME PROUD, ZLATAN!

Oh yeah, England gets through too.
Even as a Juventus fan, I have to say that Zlatan is highly overrated. He has good skills, but leaves way too much to be desired, in terms of effort and teamwork. I'm doubtful that he makes much of an impact this time around, unless it is on the Joga Bonito ads.

Even as a Juventus fan, I have to say that Zlatan is highly overrated. He has good skills, but leaves way too much to be desired, in terms of effort and teamwork. I'm doubtful that he makes much of an impact this time around, unless it is on the Joga Bonito ads.

Hey, I said it was an irrational prediction. And Zlatan is the first guy I think of when I think of Swedish soccer. Sorry.

LARSSON~! and ZLATAN~! make the upset come true~! Please?

Easy group to call. England and Sweden.

Actually, I take that back. Sweden and England ;)

Likewise, England and Sweden to go through. And I think this time England will actually beat Sweden in their match.

Hey, I said it was an irrational prediction. And Zlatan is the first guy I think of when I think of Swedish soccer. Sorry.

LARSSON~! and ZLATAN~! make the upset come true~! Please?

Might not be that much of an upset since Sweden won their group last time in WC2002 with the opponents Argentina, Nigeria and England.

Sweden's goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson will miss the opening game against Trinidad & Tobago due to a concussion. The player on my avatar is responsible, since he hit Isaksson in the head with a shot during practise. Hopefully he will not miss the second game against Paraguay.

I'll go with England and Paraguay

Stevie Gerrard has suffered and injruy scare today. Said he's only 50-50 for Saturday.

Funny thing is if he is ruled out, England is may be a better team without one of he or lampard, given the general consensus that they can't play in the same team. They would likely bring in a specialist holding midfielder(Carrick or Hargreaves), allowing Lamps to get foward at will. Should be an interesting world cup for fans of In-ger-lund

I'll go with England and Paraguay

I agree, Paraguay will give both England and Sweden fits....more to Sweden.

My brain is saying England and Sweden go through but I have a feeling that Paraguay will someway get in there and prove to be a real darkhorse for this tournament.

I think Sweden and England could well draw, and then Sweden will place tops on goal differential after demolishing T&T (Sweden vs. poor teams are gold) and handling Paraguay somewhat easily.

Let's not forget the impact my man Freddie Ljungberg can have stretching out a defensive unit and setting up Zlatan... I'm always impressed with the Swedish effort game in and game out. England and Sweden, but watch out for Paraguay, they can sneak in and quite easily.

T&T is cannon fodder in this tournament.

England and Sweden should advance. I look forward to the England/Sweden match, as they are always very tight. I think Paraguay will be a tough opponent but just not enough.

England and Sweden should advance. I look forward to the England/Sweden match, as they are always very tight. I think Paraguay will be a tough opponent but just not enough.

Yeah, should be a good one, as always.;)

I hope our unbeaten streak vs England keeps on growing. :D

I am worried about Paraguay...

OK, this one is the GDT for today, as well as the Group C thread as Argentina will play Ivory coast tonight.

Just read that England have failed to win in 9 out of 10 past opening matches. Not a good record at all and Paraguay are perfectly equipped to extend that even if we did beat them 4-0 a few years ago.

I'm really torn about my tip. My stomach says that Paraguay has a chance to beat England, but my brain says that there's no way that England doesn't get the three points.

As far as the group race is concerned it's will be a three horse race between the two Europeans and Paraguay.

Just heard that T&T #1 goalie will be out and that the two backups are really weak.

Excited for the matches today, hopefully my newborn will allow me to watch them :)

I'm really torn about my tip. My stomach says that Paraguay has a chance to beat England, but my brain says that there's no way that England doesn't get the three points.

As far as the group race is concerned it's will be a three horse race between the two Europeans and Paraguay.

Just heard that T&T #1 goalie will be out and that the two backups are really weak.

It's swedens goalie that are out. He will most likely be back against Paraguay. T&T Glasgow defender Marvin Andrews is however out. That is imo a much bigger problem for T&T than the goalie situation for sweden.

England up 1-0.

les goooooooooooooooooooool

As I said earlier this week, England's set pieces are incredible. 1-0, an own goal from a demon free kick from Beckham

COMMON ENGLAND!!! COMMON ENGLAND!!!
I love that chant :D

David Beckham :bow:

Paraguay has done nothing so far.

Always funny watching Crouch play. :biglaugh:

Englands taking this game.

GO ENGLAND!

This is exactly why I think John Terry is overrated. Huge mistake there that could have cost a goal.

Lampard with his usual dive... :D

Was the Yellow Card the right call?
At work and cant watch the game

Which yellow?

Gerrard's

Didnt realize Valdez got a yellow too

I'd say both cards are deserved so far.

Wow, Paraguay got denied a one on one with the keeper because of a bad offside decision. Neville was too blame.

Wow, Paraguay got denied a one on one with the keeper because of a bad offside decision. Neville was too blame.

That was about the only time Paraguay had a legitmate opportunity

Just missed there, by far Paraguay's best chance

That was about the only time Paraguay had a legitmate opportunity
Yes, but that doesn't mean the ref was right.
Without that poor decision, it could be 1-1 at half time.

England dominated this half, especially early, but some bad decisions could quickly result into goals : Terry making an awful clearance, Neville allowing Santa Cruz to go onside, and Cole making a mistake that resulted in Paraguay's best chance.

They have to fix this. Against an elite team (or with a good ref), they'd be scored on already.

Paraguay looked nervous to start, but they've really worked their way back into the game. England have controlled most of the game so far, but they lack that cutting edge and some of their crosses have been poor. 2nd half should certainly be interesting.

Yes, but that doesn't mean the ref was right.
Without that poor decision, it could be 1-1 at half time.

England dominated this half, especially early, but some bad decisions could quickly result into goals : Terry making an awful clearance, Neville allowing Santa Cruz to go onside, and Cole making a mistake that resulted in Paraguay's best chance.

They have to fix this. Against an elite team (or with a good ref), they'd be scored on already.


I didn't take a good look at that offside call. ABC made it sound like he went offside.



lol ABC's "studio" is at Belmont Park :biglaugh:

England in control but a couple (Cole and earlier Terry) of worrying lapses of concentration.

I'm not really that impressed by England. Beckham was great the first 25 minutes but gave the ball away needlessy too many times after that. For me Gerrard was the best player on the pitch. J Cole also had his moments.

I'd say both cards are deserved so far.

Neither was deserved for me, Gerrard didn't touch his man at all (what a dive BTW grabbing his knee) and the one for Valdez was just silly. the ref's made some strange decisions (the free kick inside the penalty area) and the linesman is killing Crouch without reason.

And Valdez wasn't off side that one play when he was trough

Crouch is getting the Carew illness : you're taller than your defenseman, but you feel the need to put his hand on his shoulder to keep him down... :shakehead

Anyway, I thought both Valdez and Gerrard made dangerous plays that deserved cards.
As for the free kick, german TV clocked the guy has having the ball 12.3 seconds. He's allowed to have it 6 seconds.
If anthing, that was a good decision, even if refs don't enforce this rule enough.

As for the offside, it was an awful decision and that was a key moment too. 1-1 at halftime and it's a different story.

Neither was deserved for me, Gerrard didn't touch his man at all (what a dive BTW grabbing his knee) and the one for Valdez was just silly. the ref's made some strange decisions (the free kick inside the penalty area) and the linesman is killing Crouch without reason.


Watching yet another replay it was clear that Gerrard didn't touch the guy taking the shot. Completely undeserved card.

As for the free kick, german TV clocked the guy has having the ball 12.3 seconds. He's allowed to have it 6 seconds.
If anthing, that was a good decision, even if refs don't enforce this rule enough.


I didn't even notice, thanks to those damn directors who are used to playing a ton of unnecessary replays when the goalkeeper is about to kick the ball. I always lose concentration at that point because of that.

If anthing, that was a good decision, even if refs don't enforce this rule enough.



He enforced it on the Paraguay goalie

Anyone else finding this a hard game to watch because of the uneven mixture of sun and the shade?

Owen's comin off already?? Has he struggled?

Wow, Englands had 73% of possesion this game.

Awful awful defense by Terry, A. Cole and Robinson.
Since Owen's gone, Joe Cole has finally contributed something.

I'm really unimpressed by England's midfield. It should be their strongest point.
And my god is that defense shaky. Robinson made a big mistake there but Valdes couldn't capitalize.

Owen's comin off already?? Has he struggled?

Not in 90 minute condition.

The foul on Crouch...


i lol'ed

Anyone else finding this a hard game to watch because of the uneven mixture of sun and the shade?

I got the game up and running at work.
And ya, it is is hard to watch with the sun/shade :eek:

Anyone else finding this a hard game to watch because of the uneven mixture of sun and the shade?


Most soccer games are played at night when they're in Europe, so this typically is not a factor. I mean there's a jumbotron in the middle of an open-air stadium (half-enclosed)

OUCH!!! :sarcasm:

There you go, typical England big tournament performance. Sure, points, but dismissing it as the usual opening game nerves isn't gonna cut it, they MUST improve in a lot of areas.

First time in World Cup history that a game ended 1-0 on an OG

Bad game for England and for Paraguay.
England will be happy with the 3 points, but they will have to work a lot harder in the next games.

Great first 10 minutes from England. Other than that they need to pick it up.

What's the ref's beef with Crouch? :biglaugh:

They may have the 3 points, but England need to improve in all areas, really a disappointing performance.

Robinson was alright, but that was a pretty bad mistake although he did alright in forcing the Paraguayan to put his shot over the bar.

I thought the defense was really solid except for a couple of mental errors, but they need to eliminate those errors from their game.

Midfield was disappointing, Cole was good, but Beckham dropped out after the first half hour and Lampard and Gerrard weren't very good.

Strikers were alright I guess, but nothing to write home about, they didn't get much service.

Worrying performance, they definitely need to step up their game in all areas if they want to be real contenders.

I didn't even notice, thanks to those damn directors who are used to playing a ton of unnecessary replays when the goalkeeper is about to kick the ball. I always lose concentration at that point because of that.

Yeah, the director was downright awful in this game. He didn't zoom in on long passes which left the camera far away from the play and showed replays or some people in the stands way too often. At one point he showed Platini for something like 15 to 20 seconds while the game was going on, what was he thinking?

Count Dracula had one of the most biased reffing performances I've ever seen. Every time there was a 50/50 battle, he gave a free kick to Paraguay.

Hopefully he wont see another game in this WC.

Count Dracula had one of the most biased reffing performances I've ever seen. Every time there was a 50/50 battle, he gave a free kick to Paraguay.

Hopefully he wont see another game in this WC.

The fans seemed to like him by the last 15 minutes :sarcasm:

while the game was going on, what was he thinking?
That Platini really deserved to win a WC. :D

Count Dracula had one of the most biased reffing performances I've ever seen. Every time there was a 50/50 battle, he gave a free kick to Paraguay.

Hopefully he wont see another game in this WC.
I thought the ref wasn't good, but for both sides.
How many refs would have given that free kick in the area for England?
Not many.

The ref wasn't good enough though, I agree.

england did not impress me at all in this game considering the talent they have. another game in about an hour.....

Poor from England that's for sure.

Cole was the best player throughout the match I thought (Gerrard sunk in with the rest in the second half).

Seven's explenation for his substitution was a bit strange. Terry, Nevile, Cole and Robinson looked shakey. No shape the second half, inability to hold on to the ball... very worrying.

One thing I didn't understand, why didn't the Paraguay player try to control the ball when Robinson fumbled that cross? The way Robinson was flying in it would have been a penalty for sure. Some player need to take some lessons out of the offensive foul playbook in basketball: give up your body for the good of the team.

England was superior, but it was an ugly game. The ref really had it in for Crouch. He was fouled much more than he fouled in this game.

England's midfield struggles because Gerrard and Lampard can not play in the same team. The are both only effective when they can get foward, but when Sven plays his diamond one of them always has to sit at the bottom of it in front of the back 4. Usually this is Gerrard because he has a better defensive game than Lamps, and as a result he struggles to get foward and get dangerous. If sven insists on playing them both together he would be much better served to bring in a specialist holding bid to take care of things at the back, play a 5 man midfield and let gerrard and lamps roam foward on either side of the striker. What is scary is that without Rooney, England only have two strikers, and one of them is not match fit. It boggles my mind that he is gambling so much on Rooney, surely he could have left one of those mids at home to keep a 4th striker in the squad. Had Defoe still been in the team his runs could certainly have created a different dynamic had he been subbed in for crouch in the 2nd half (I thought crouch may have gotten his own early shower anyway).....

Gerrard is wasted the way sven plays him and until the situation is rectified it will remain such. I don't understand why Hargreaves is so far up in the pecking order either, maybe someone can set me straight on that.

I agree with sven's quote that this is the best english team he has seen in some time, but I don't think he is tactically getting the most out of them right now.

Incidently, Lampard and Cole seem to flop around like "portuguese" these days. :sarcasm: I expect those shenanigans from the Paraguayans, but I was very disappointed to see those guys do it.

England was superior, but it was an ugly game. The ref really had it in for Crouch. He was fouled much more than he fouled in this game.

In defense of the referee it was the linesmen who made all the calls against Crouch.

But you are completely right though, as I said after the first half the men in black were completely killing Crouch's game off.

England's midfield struggles because Gerrard and Lampard can not play in the same team.

Disagree: look again at the first half, Gerrard was the bes player on the pitch and completely bossed everyone in midfield. In the second half they lost pressure from up front so the Paraguay players got too much space to pass it around. Reversingly England failed to keep a hold of the ball because Paraguay had cleverly singled out Gerrard for pretty tight coverage and the long balls were useless once Crouch was up on his own (Sven's fault)

Gerrard might be less effective in a 4-4-2 as defensive midfielder but he sure is capable as he showed today in the first half.


Incidently, Lampard and Cole seem to flop around like "portuguese" these days. :sarcasm: I expect those shenanigans from the Paraguayans, but I was very disappointed to see those guys do it.

Yeah, couple of bad dives.

the worst guy by far was Paredes though, he was diving all over the place and the ref let him get away with it.

Ugly match.

Paraguay was brutal in the first 15 minutes. After that it was very even.

England's back line was very strong when Paraguay had the ball and conceded few quality chances, but made some lazy, awful clearances that should never happen at this level. More skilled sides would have burned them on that.

England's passing game was awful for most of the match. I've never seen so many lame duck plays from Beckham in particular. For all the talent that's there the midfield worked very poorly as a unit.

Owen was invisible and Crouch was worn out by the referee and generated little, and their only option after that hasn't played a Premiership game. They need Rooney badly. Boggles the mind that they didn't bring a Bent or Defoe.

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure how this English team can be considered a contender since they've been this unimpressive since WC 2002. This team will be fortunate to reach the last 8.

Very boring game... England - Paraguay... that is. Very few players made an impression on me. Crouch decent IMO, Paredes as well. Typical game for England, but I was not at all impressed with Paraguay.

Very boring game... England - Paraguay... that is. Very few players made an impression on me. Crouch decent IMO, Paredes as well. Typical game for England, but I was not at all impressed with Paraguay.

Acuna was simply brutal I thought, at times he had so much space and played bad passes. He's usually better then that.

The ref blew the whistle too much, which in turn slowed the match down to a crawl. He called 3 foul throws for heaven's sake.

Pretty bad game for England, outside of the first 15 minutes. The ref was horrible, but you cant use that as an excuse. Basically, im happy to get the win, but i think everyone expects a better performance out of them, and I think it will happen.

Dumb question maybe, but is the game over? I'm watching on ABC right now and it is in the 80th minute... ABC is saying that it is live.

Dumb question maybe, but is the game over? I'm watching on ABC right now and it is in the 80th minute... ABC is saying that it is live.

It's been over for about 45 mins.

It's been over for about 45 mins.

Thanks. I guess because of the time difference it will be like this throughout the tournament.

I just wanted to know so that in future games that I am more interested in following, I'm not reading the thread and spoiling it for myself.

Thanks. I guess because of the time difference it will be like this throughout the tournament.

I just wanted to know so that in future games that I am more interested in following, I'm not reading the thread and spoiling it for myself.


thats strange, In Columbus it was over at around 11am and they have an hour of infomercials about hair transplants in between the two games

The ref blew the whistle too much, which in turn slowed the match down to a crawl. He called 3 foul throws for heaven's sake.

I think he could have called more than just three if he wanted to. It's the same as hooking in hockey, if the ref calls all the stuff he should call, there isn't much of a game left.

game on very soon. Pumped and nervous as hell! Go Sweden! :)

Thanks. I guess because of the time difference it will be like this throughout the tournament.

I just wanted to know so that in future games that I am more interested in following, I'm not reading the thread and spoiling it for myself.


He wasn't serious I don't think. The 2nd half was just dreadful to watch.



This next game, I understand that Sweden shold smoke Trinidad & Tobago

Lets go Sweden. :)

Damn it Zlatan. :(

Damn it Zlatan. :(
He's taking a beating

Pretty boring game to watch. Owen was really bad, and yet for some reason the commentators didn't shut up about how bad a tatical decision it was by Sven to take him off.

Paraguay wont qualify. If they can't even create a decent chance against England who played pretty badly, then they are in alot of trouble.

GO T & T!

lets go Trinbago bhoys!!!!!!!

someone needs to tell ABC that Kelvin Jack is not the goalie for Trinidad



edit: now they just said it was a last minute switch, even FIFA had someone different

Yorke is having a strong game for Trinidad

Trinidad are a bit violent :D

Trinidad isn't playing like a team that's never been here before, at least in transition

Finally,
1st shot of the game!!

Sweden has had their chances.

I'm just coming around to soccer and watched part of the England match and have been watching the Sweden/T&T game and was just wondering, what is the disparity ranking wise? Is Sweden a top 10 team? I've been kinda suprised with T&T as I figured they were pretty much overmatched but they have been pretty good so far

Trinidad's goalie has been pretty impressive thus far

I'm just coming around to soccer and watched part of the England match and have been watching the Sweden/T&T game and was just wondering, what is the disparity ranking wise? Is Sweden a top 10 team? I've been kinda suprised with T&T as I figured they were pretty much overmatched but they have been pretty good so far


Sweden is ranked 15 in the world on FIFA, T&T at 51.

I like T&T, they're really scrappy out there.

You've gotta love the young new teams in the WC who are too green to know they're completely overmatched, and actually fight it out pretty well. Tied at 0 after one half.

I'm just coming around to soccer and watched part of the England match and have been watching the Sweden/T&T game and was just wondering, what is the disparity ranking wise? Is Sweden a top 10 team? I've been kinda suprised with T&T as I figured they were pretty much overmatched but they have been pretty good so far


Trinidad has sat back a lot until the end of the half. Sweden is definetaly one of the world powers (they're not Brazil or Germany), if not the world at least in Europe. Most of the game has been in Trinidad's end and the goalie made 3 great saves, and Sweden had marvelous chances on a few other

Its hard not to pull for the little guys, I have really enjoyed what I have watched so far, it might be 0-0 but its been a good watch, thanks to Fifa on the xbox and xbox 360 I have discovered that soccer isnt half bad

Trinidad has sat back a lot until the end of the half. Sweden is definetaly one of the world powers (they're not Brazil or Germany), if not the world at least in Europe. Most of the game has been in Trinidad's end and the goalie made 3 great saves, and Sweden had marvelous chances on a few other

World power is going abit to far. There are very few world powers. Though Sweden are a very good team, and who could probably beat any other team on their day.

Sweden has had their chances.

Most world powers would have made something out of those chances, I think Sweden really needs to convert on more of their attacks in the 2nd half to avoid possibly being the SECOND team to lose to a Carribbean national team (Haiti and Jamaica are a combined 1-5-0 in WC play).

The England game was very poor, Crouch to me is just a big stiff with very little talent, the combination of Rooney and Owen is by far the best pair England can put out there. I was impressed by Paraguay's Valdez but the game as a whole was very poor.

Very surprised at the score line in the Sweden/Trinidad game as I was one of the one's that thought Sweden would do what they did to Bulgaria at Euro 2004 which was thrash them by three or more goals.

On a sidenote, I really enjoy this commentating more then that of the first game same thing happened with yesturday's games. This guy gets alot more into the game and I believe he was the one that called Sweden/Italy game with the great call on Zlatan goal "It's Ibrahomvic, Sweden are level!!!!!!"

There goes Avery John with a two-footed tackle.

Aaaaand #3, Avery John, on T&T just destroyed a Swede going for the ball and gets the Red Card.

This game just got that much harder for T&T.

T&T down to 10 players, John gets his second yellow card and sent off the pitch.

T and T down to ten men, goals should come now

red card?


BS

Thats not gonna help T&T

Aaaaand #3, Avery John, on T&T just destroyed a Swede going for the ball and gets the Red Card.

This game just got that much harder for T&T.

2nd yellow got him an automatic red card

What the hell was Ibrahimovic doing there?

red card?


BS

It wasn't a red, it was a second yellow card which brings an automatic red.

It wasn't a red, it was a second yellow card which brings an automatic red.


I mustve been in the kitchen I missed the first yellow, thats more reasonable then

Anyone else the referee would have thought better of giving a 2nd yellow, but a Trinbago won't get the benefit of the doubt. He got all ball and it was a bad angle which made the tackle look worse than it already was.

I missed the first yellow card, my mistake.

Regardless, he's not there and T&T is playing with 10 men.

It wasn't a red, it was a second yellow card which brings an automatic red.


I know, it's still BS

I'm not watching, but I'll take a wild guess and say it's a mix between a stroll in the park and some kind of interpretative dance. He's been doing much of that this season.


he's had a few pretty good chances

This is really frustrating to watch, Sweden keeps producing opportunities but his having no more success at finishing then Georges Laraque..

This is really frustrating to watch, Sweden keeps producing opportunities but his having no more success at finishing then Georges Laraque..

I don't know, Laraque can score some goals. These guys are looking Pandolfo-esque.

Then again T&T is really holding tough in their own end, Dwight Yorke is holding it down.

HEY! I know where I've seen this before, the US vs. Morocco friendly a few weeks back. You know, Sweden, the US didn't win that game...

WHAT A SHOT~! by T&T, big save for Sweden there.

But he doesn't bury them. He was creating just as many chances this season with Juve as he did in his first season in Italy, but it seems as though he simply lost his finishing touch.


He got robbed once and another was a totalt circus shot. Maybe because I don't get to watch him play my standards are lowered, but it's not like he's invisible

OHHHH! ZLATAN got robbed!

OMFG ZLATAN!!!! He HAS to finish that..

Ibrahomovic just got robbed again

OMFG ZLATAN!!!! He HAS to finish that..

I don't think he could have done much better with it.

I don't think he could have done much better with it.
Touche

Hislop is playing great right now.. Robbed Zlatan again.

Please get Källström on and send Svensson off.

Allbäck in and Svensson off.

Allback on...

Well, Allback is in for Svensson. Maybe now Sweden can capitalize on opportunities instead of just...getting them and doing noting with it.

Ibrahimovich needs a card....he constantly is coming over the top from behind on headers with no intent of heading the ball...what crap.

Sweden is 0-2-4 in opening games.

At this rate, it's going to be 0-2-5. Not good if you want them to win the group (grumble, grumble).

Sweden is 0-2-4 in opening games.

At this rate, it's going to be 0-2-5. Not good if you want them to win the group (grumble, grumble).

maybe its due to that gay-*** rat tail.

maybe its due to that gay-*** rat tail.

:biglaugh:

I was just thinking cut that **** off!

**** this is frustrating! :madfire:

**** this is frustrating! :madfire:


I can't blame you...would this be like Sweden losing to Belarus in hockey in 2002?

Dwight Yorke gets a yellow card. At this rate, the only yellow we're going to see on the scoresheet will be for discipline.

I can't blame you...would this be like Sweden losing to Belarus in hockey in 2002?

Yeah this would be quite similar.

Zlatan :shakehead come on man your better then that

Main difference is that Belarus was a tournament game, and when Sweden lost, it was over...even if they draw today, Sweden is still alive.

Källströn and Jonsson in. :clap:

Sweden has now made all 3 subs

Hislop is playing great right now.. Robbed Zlatan again.

Please get Källström on and send Svensson off.

Done

I'm speechless... ****ing speechless

:bow: Shaka Hislop

oh god!

:bow: Shaka Hislop

He is clearly Man of the Match(tm) so far.

Later: AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

Main difference is that Belarus was a tournament game, and when Sweden lost, it was over...even if they draw today, Sweden is still alive.

But in a bad place, I would think they would have to beat Paraguay which isn't a sure bet

What happened?

Looks like a matter of time for Sweden

Lagerbäck you tool, better start Källström next game.

I screamed because Sweden missed a VERY easy chance to score.

Oh, Sweden, please score, I need 5 pts. in the prediction thread and you need this win to stay level with England. :)

I got to get going, I got plans for the rest of the day. Later.

For a game with no goals this is pretty entertaining

Larsson has been terrible in the 2nd half

For a game with no goals this is pretty entertaining


I agree, this is one of the better ones, very high intensity

Larsson takes a yellow now

:shakehead Larsson, my pro line ticket is going down the drain

11 on 9 now with the injured player

:bananas:
Let the parties begin in T&T

Wow.



Look at the Trinidad players, you'd think they won a knockout game

Unbelivable, the Swedes just made their road to the final 16 alot more difficult while England players must be smiling needing only another win to qualify

Hehe... :D

I cant believe this....

Good job by T&T.. :clap:

Källström needs to start in the next game, he was amazing with his passes after he came on.

I am so ****ing disappointed right now.

wow what i wouldnt give to be in the carribean tonight!!!!

:clap:

Hehe... :D


Shut up. :madfire:


;)

A great day for England! :handclap:

Fun match to watch, even if it was 0-0.

I just can't imagine that ABC is happy about the result, Americans hate nothing more than a tie, I just wish there were more casual fans like me who could appreciate a game like that.

OT - I'm moving to Sweden, everytime they showed the Swedish women in the crowd :eek: :amazed:

Damn, Beenhakker's face is more fun when he's loosing.

Gritty performance by T&T, too bad about the diving (on both sides BTW) and timewasting though.

A new country has some genuine heroes now I think. Sweden - Paraguay is becoming a huge match suddenly.

Sweden had a ton of chances, they just couldn't capitalize. Fun game to watch.

Don Leo! :bow:

Dwight Yorke was everywhere as was Hiltop (sp)..

It was a fun game.
Trinidad :eek:
I think I'll go place some bets on them ;)

Disepointing to say he least... :(

That said, a win against Paraguay gives sweden a place in the quarterfinal if T&T doesn't beat England or Paraguay.

loved the attitude and fighting spirit displayed by trinidad's players. For Sweden... hmmz goalkeeper flawless, defense had little to do, ljungberg decent, svensson good defensively..but invisible offensively, wilhelmsson decent (cannot stand his dives, in this game.. more exaggerations than dives.. but still), källström great during the 10 minutes he played, zlatan decent, larsson decent in the first half.. invisible in the second. That pretty much covers it.

Haha, God Bless T&T!

Haha, God Bless T&T!

Didn't someone here call them Fodder for their group? ;)

Wow. Great performance by T&T with a man down. Their goalie really was something else. So was that Sancho guy covering Ibrahimovic.
Go Trinidad!!!!

I was quite surprised Kallstrom didn't start the match.

Didn't someone here call them Fodder for their group? ;)

They were seen as the laughing stock of this WC. Which pissed off Beenhakker ofcourse. But all Don Leo asked from his players was that they'd never be embarassed, have fun and lay it all on the line.

At a press conference, Leo Beenhakker was asked: "Do you consider T&T being here a miracle? - "We came here by plane, just like everybody else. Technique stands for nothing these days"..

LOL @ Sweden.

Didn't someone here call them Fodder for their group? ;)

That's what football's all about.

It's like thse good old untamable lyons of Cameroon beating Argentina in the '90 opener, anything is possible!

[QUOTE=Ott = Snott] all Don Leo asked from his players was that they'd never be embarassed, have fun and lay it all on the line.
QUOTE]

They certainly achieved that objective in this game. Congrats to them.

I was quite surprised Kallstrom didn't start the match.

So was i, he better start against Paraguay. He showed enough during his 10min on the pitch.

Didn't someone here call them Fodder for their group? ;)

They will be after their next game ;).

Kinda cool that they did this though. Not just because its means we are top, but its always entertaining when caribbean teams do well.

Just realised all 4 of the Swedish strikers started their career in the Ere Divisie.

That's what football's all about.


And I love it! I was rootin for Sweden at first but halfway through the game I was cheering them both equally :handclap:

Well done by T and T. I didn't think they'd play as poorly as some had anticipated, because this is the World Cup, and usually smaller nations bring their best, with their amazing spirit and belief. We've seen countless nations do it on this stage, and I don't think anybody should be underestimated anymore.

As for the England match earlier today, it was a fairly dull match, where I thought England failed to capitalize when they had to. In the first half, they should have taken greater advantage of Paraguay's early troubles, because I knew that England often has troubles in the second half. The last 3 minutes were very compelling, and nervewracking because of their inability to finish them off. I was impressed by Frank Lampard, and Joe Cole. Lampard created the majority of the offensive chances in the second half, and Joe Cole was a dangerous attacking option off the wing. I also felt pretty bad for Peter Crouch! Unfortunately, the official didn't like the way he played the game, so seemed to give the defenders the benefit of the call.

This tie, in my mind, is a bigger upset than Ecuador over Poland.

I also agree, the Mexican ref of the England/Paraguay called the game unevenly and what was with all the "illegal throw-ins"?

They will be after their next game ;).

Kinda cool that they did this though. Not just because its means we are top, but its always entertaining when caribbean teams do well.

I'm looking forward to the 15th.

Go England BTW ;)

LOL @ Sweden.

Enough now.. ;)

Oh.. When was the last time you beat us?

:D

Should be a very exciting game when we play each other. :)

This tie, in my mind, is a bigger upset than Ecuador over Poland.

Easily.

Where does Paraguay rank, do they have a chance to go through now with Sweden getting a draw instead of a win?

The T & T Sweden game was pretty good Sweden was all over them though that goalie stood on his head

Where does Paraguay rank, do they have a chance to go through now with Sweden getting a draw instead of a win?

33 in the latest rankings.

Enough now.. ;)

Oh.. When was the last time you beat us?

:D

Should be a very exciting game when we play each other. :)

You're right it should be a fun game. This was a great result for England...now a draw with Sweden will probably give them the group.

This tie, in my mind, is a bigger upset than Ecuador over Poland.

I also agree, the Mexican ref of the England/Paraguay game was unevenly called and what was with all the "illegal throw-ins"?

Easily, T and T is in Canada's region in Concacaf and the teams usually trade wins in qualifying, I gave them no chance to hold Sweden. Im now in critical fear of Angola when they play my Portuguese brothers tommorow

You're right it should be a fun game. This was a great result for England...now a draw with Sweden will probably give them the group.


Yah, i am positive that England will get the group, if we beat Paraguay and get the draw against England we will be second.

T&T will be crushed by England.

Just realised all 4 of the Swedish strikers started their career in the Ere Divisie.
Ouch!
Not something to be proud of right now...
Maybe dutch teams should train in Trinidad and Tobago in the summer... :amazed:

Yah, i am positive that England will get the group, if we beat Paraguay and get the draw against England we will be second.

T&T will be crushed by England.

Well, i wouldn't say crushed. I'd use the term "Devour and demolish" ;).

I dunno, if we play like we did today against T&T, i doubt we would beat them by much.

So was i, he better start against Paraguay. He showed enough during his 10min on the pitch.

Yeah, but would you hire him as your latex salesman? :dunno:

Ouch!
Not something to be proud of right now...
Maybe dutch teams should train in Trinidad and Tobago in the summer... :amazed:

Luckily we got rid of them in time.. ;)

Yeah, but would you hire him as your latex salesman? :dunno:


:biglaugh:

Just realised all 4 of the Swedish strikers started their career in the Ere Divisie.

Yeah that weird. :)

Ibrahimovic, Rosenberg (Ajax) Larsson (Feyenoord), Elmander (Feyenoord, NAC Breda) Allbäck (Heerenveen)

Yes, but that doesn't mean the ref was right.
Without that poor decision, it could be 1-1 at half time.

England dominated this half, especially early, but some bad decisions could quickly result into goals : Terry making an awful clearance, Neville allowing Santa Cruz to go onside, and Cole making a mistake that resulted in Paraguay's best chance.

They have to fix this. Against an elite team (or with a good ref), they'd be scored on already.

what do you mean 'poor decision'? Watch the replay, he was clearly offside.

The media have been harsh on us to be honest, and are giving far too much credit to a poor Paraguay side. We were pretty good in the first half, scored early and did everything we had to do. Sven did his best to cost us the game (how many times does he need to throw away the game before he realises it doesn't work?). Paraguay were more in the game in the second half but created absolutely nothing, Terry and Ferdinand dominated their front two.

So with the Sweden result thrown in, we're all but through already and should win the group at a canter. Come on England.

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure how this English team can be considered a contender since they've been this unimpressive since WC 2002. This team will be fortunate to reach the last 8.

With all due respect, that's nonsense pal. I'm far from bias but if you honestly think we've been unimpressive since Japan then you shouldn't be watching football. Since losing to Brazil 4 years ago, we have only lost 3 competitive games (France, Portugal and *cough* Northern Ireland). We cantered to the top of our qualifying group and scored goal after goal after goal in the warm-ups to the World Cup. We weren't great yesterday but we did exactly what we had to and coped well considering the temperature.

Judge us after 3 games.

Its hard not to pull for the little guys, I have really enjoyed what I have watched so far, it might be 0-0 but its been a good watch, thanks to Fifa on the xbox and xbox 360 I have discovered that soccer isnt half bad

We could have told you a long while ago :)

He is clearly Man of the Match(tm) so far.

Later: AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

No chance, Dwight Yorke was phenomenal in the middle.

This tie, in my mind, is a bigger upset than Ecuador over Poland.

Was that game even considered an upset? Poland aren't even worthy of consideration and Ecuador are a fast improving side. I called them to finish second in their group a while back.

I also agree, the Mexican ref of the England/Paraguay called the game unevenly and what was with all the "illegal throw-ins"?

It's called a foul throw. If you have one foot off the ground or have moved too far up the line before you throw it then it is called back and the opposing team gets the throw instead.

Yeah that weird. :)

Ibrahimovic, Rosenberg (Ajax) Larsson (Feyenoord), Elmander (Feyenoord, NAC Breda) Allbäck (Heerenveen)

Heh forgot Elmander. But all 5 strikers? Yikes.. Holland often is the career starter for a lot of Scandinavian players now that I think of it. Can't forget the best Scandinavier ever to walk on Dutch fields; Jari!

Just hope Rosenberg gets to see some minutes next time.

Pretty boring game to watch. Owen was really bad, and yet for some reason the commentators didn't shut up about how bad a tatical decision it was by Sven to take him off.

That's because it was a shocking decision, Sven has been guilty on numerous occasions in the past of shutting up shop when we have a goals lead (Brazil in 2002 and Portugal in 2004 to name but two) and basically defend out the game.

Yesterday we were comfortable if not spectacular and we had Paraguay's number. Sven brings off Owen and effectively goes 4-5-1 and we invite them onto us. Sure, it worked this time, they created nothing and we won the game but there was no need to invite the risk. Sven is earning £5m a year and there are so many more people who would do a better job for a fraction of that money.

what do you mean 'poor decision'? Watch the replay, he was clearly offside.
I've watched the replay many times, and Valdes wasn't offside at all. Neville was covering him.

So with the Sweden result thrown in, we're all but through already and should win the group at a canter. Come on England.

Yeah?
There are three games to play. With the way England has played, they can lose any game.
Let's say Sweden beats England and loses to Paraguay (realistic). They finish with 4 points.
Let's say Paraguay beats Sweden and T&T (realistic as well). They finish with 6 points.
And England loses to Sweden and ties T&T. They finish with 4 points as well.
Depending on the goal average, England could be out of the WC.

I can't understand how people are thinking a team is out or through depending on the first game.
2 games can decide a team's fate. 1 game can't.

I've watched the replay many times, and Valdes wasn't offside at all. Neville was covering him.

If we're on about the same incident, it was clear that he was beyond the last man.

Yeah?
There are three games to play. With the way England has played, they can lose any game.

Christ, you drama queen. We weren't that bad at all. We bossed the first half and closed out the second against a side that has beaten Brazil and Argentina.

Let's say Sweden beats England and loses to Paraguay (realistic). They finish with 4 points.
Let's say Paraguay beats Sweden and T&T (realistic as well). They finish with 6 points.
And England loses to Sweden and ties T&T. They finish with 4 points as well.

We will not fail to beat T&T, it's purely speculative. That game yesterday was the performance of their lives and it took everything out of them. Look at their players at the end of the game, they were knackered. They will be a shadow of the side that played yesterday, and will be up against a better side. We'll put 4 past them, i predict it comfortably.

Depending on the goal average, England could be out of the WC.

A fanciful dream based on the most unlikely of results. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

I can't understand how people are thinking a team is out or through depending on the first game.
2 games can decide a team's fate. 1 game can't.

Well, when you've won a game at a fair canter one day and watched the only real challenge in the group draw with the minnows, you tend to see the group as a forgone conclusion. The only thing that may be up for debate is who will finish top, even that ought to be decided.

If we're on about the same incident, it was clear that he was beyond the last man.



Christ, you drama queen. We weren't that bad at all. We bossed the first half and closed out the second against a side that has beaten Brazil and Argentina.



We will not fail to beat T&T, it's purely speculative. That game yesterday was the performance of their lives and it took everything out of them. Look at their players at the end of the game, they were knackered. They will be a shadow of the side that played yesterday, and will be up against a better side. We'll put 4 past them, i predict it comfortably.



A fanciful dream based on the most unlikely of results. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.



Well, when you've won a game at a fair canter one day and watched the only real challenge in the group draw with the minnows, you tend to see the group as a forgone conclusion. The only thing that may be up for debate is who will finish top, even that ought to be decided.
1/ Any unbiased person will tell you that it wasn't offside. Not even close.
2/ Please pick you words carefully. Drama queen is not good words to use.
Anyway, you certainly didn't "boss" the first half. You scored on an own goal and more or less dominated the first 20 minutes. With Valdes phantom offside and the huge opportunity for Valdes to score, you could have been 2-1 down just as easily.
The second half was all Paraguay.
3/ You say I'm speculative when I say England could tie T&T, yet you say things like "they will be the shadow of that side", blah, blah, blah. Games are win on the pitch. England haven't beaten T&T yet.
4/ How do you know it's not going to happen? It could happen.
5/ Once again, you make assumptions like who is decent competition

Typical arrogant english fan who thinks his team is through after a pityful own goal win. :shakehead

Typical arrogant english fan who thinks his team is through after a pityful own goal win. :shakehead


Completely unecessary comment, speak your opinions but is there a need for this? :shakehead

1/ Any unbiased person will tell you that it wasn't offside. Not even close.

We must be on about a different situation but from what i saw, the only situations where there was a question of offside were clearly correct.

2/ Please pick you words carefully. Drama queen is not good words to use.

Why?

Anyway, you certainly didn't "boss" the first half. You scored on an own goal and more or less dominated the first 20 minutes. With Valdes phantom offside and the huge opportunity for Valdes to score, you could have been 2-1 down just as easily.

We did boss the first half. We scored from a vicious free kick that would have gone in even if Gamarra didn't touch it and barring their effort in the last minute of the half, we controlled the game. What more did we need to do to boss it?

The second half was all Paraguay.

Lol, i'm dealing with a child here. If it really was 'all paraguay' as you say, how many chances did they have? How many times did you think they were going to score? The only moment they had that was worthy of the word 'excitement' was from Robinsons mistake and that went miles over.

3/ You say I'm speculative when I say England could tie T&T, yet you say things like "they will be the shadow of that side", blah, blah, blah. Games are win on the pitch. England haven't beaten T&T yet.

You're dealing in speculation, im dealing in human capability. T&T have never had a result of that magnitude in their history. Jamaica are of a similar standard to T&T and we creamed them. It took everything they had to even hold them to a 0-0 draw, and they needed a huge amount of fortune involved in that too. They are on empty tanks now and are up against an England side that is fully fit, have won 6 games in a row and are fully ready. Sure, England haven't beaten T&T yet but it is only a matter of time. If i'm wrong, then i apologise but i won't be and you know it. Jamaica are of a similar standard to T&T and we creamed them.

4/ How do you know it's not going to happen? It could happen.

Because i've been following football all my life and i know how it works. If they were fully fit, they'd have a 2% chance of doing it at best. They're completely empty now and will not be able to cope.

5/ Once again, you make assumptions like who is decent competition

It may be an assumption, but it is an educated and calculated one. Anyone who has been watching the game longer than ten minutes will agree with me.

Typical arrogant english fan who thinks his team is through after a pityful own goal win. :shakehead

Id' rather be arrogant than unable to accept a point of view other than my own. Sure, i may be arrogant but you're allowed to be when you're talking to someone who talks out of his backside.

Completely unecessary comment, speak your opinions but is there a need for this? :shakehead

It's alright mate, i can handle it. If he wants to generalise an entire nation, then let him embarass himself.

We must be on about a different situation but from what i saw, the only situations where there was a question of offside were clearly correct.
Put him on your ignore list, then you wont have to view his comically wrong posts.

That's because it was a shocking decision, Sven has been guilty on numerous occasions in the past of shutting up shop when we have a goals lead (Brazil in 2002 and Portugal in 2004 to name but two) and basically defend out the game.

Yesterday we were comfortable if not spectacular and we had Paraguay's number. Sven brings off Owen and effectively goes 4-5-1 and we invite them onto us. Sure, it worked this time, they created nothing and we won the game but there was no need to invite the risk. Sven is earning £5m a year and there are so many more people who would do a better job for a fraction of that money.

I'll admit Crouch on his own doesn't work unless the back four push up, the midfield join attacks etc. But Owen was awful. Is it me or does he have no pace and very little skill. Hopefully people will realise sooner rather than later that he isn't world class. Ian Wright makes me laugh, but he was very far off when he said Owen could win the golden boot.

Evilo, i think your being abit far fetched when suggesting all these possible ways of England being eliminated. Sure it could happen, but its unlikely. T&T played the game of their lives, but they created very little and Sweden were unluckily to win. I'd be honestly shocked if England didn't win by atleast 2 goals. Also no need to generalise us as being arrogant. Most England fans recognise that if we play like we did yesterday, we wont go very far. Though i can't see us not making the second round. If we finish 1st, we also should have an easy route to the Quarters as its extremely likely we avoid Germany.

I've got a retriever like that. Tell me what's supposed to be entertaining about it? :biglaugh:

Now that's good comedy :D

Amazing, I didn't think Ian Wright would find the time to post on our board here while being BBC pundit at the same time :)

I'm a talented guy

I'm a talented guy

So Ian, did you enjoy S&M?

Personally, i feel that Serbia and Montenegro are a massively under-rated side and i do find myself enjoying their games.

Anyway, you certainly didn't "boss" the first half. You scored on an own goal and more or less dominated the first 20 minutes. With Valdes phantom offside and the huge opportunity for Valdes to score, you could have been 2-1 down just as easily.
The second half was all Paraguay.

But you just said...

England dominated this half, especially early

:sarcasm:

Certainly the group is not over, but England have put themselves in the driving seat to make the next round. The other three teams have it all to do.

Valdez offside

:biglaugh: :biglaugh:

Evilo, i think your being abit far fetched when suggesting all these possible ways of England being eliminated. Sure it could happen, but its unlikely. T&T played the game of their lives, but they created very little and Sweden were unluckily to win. I'd be honestly shocked if England didn't win by atleast 2 goals. Also no need to generalise us as being arrogant. Most England fans recognise that if we play like we did yesterday, we wont go very far. Though i can't see us not making the second round. If we finish 1st, we also should have an easy route to the Quarters as its extremely likely we avoid Germany.
I just don't think anyone can say who goes through after one game out of three.
It's that simple.

I just don't think anyone can say who goes through after one game out of three.
It's that simple.

Look son, we've been through this already. We've got one of the hardest games out of the way with a win. Our rivals drew with the minnows. All we have to do is beat Trinidad (ranked 1 millionth in the world) or Sweden. We could go through with two draws.

England...are...through

When you've watched a little more football, maybe you'll learn to be able to judge it better.

Son? You're an 85 born! :lol:

Me watched a little football? :lol:
Meh, I was watching football before you were born!

well that's even more embarassing for you than i previously thought.

well that's even more embarassing for you than i previously thought.
For what?
For knowing by experience that a game is won on the pitch and not on paper?
Riiiiiight.
England is certainly a favourite to go through, but it's not done before.... it's done..

For what?
For knowing by experience that a game is won on the pitch and not on paper?
Riiiiiight.
England is certainly a favourite to go through, but it's not done before.... it's done..

You'll never be a pundit, or even a better. I see your point, but to suggest England are anything but through is madness.

I just don't think anyone can say who goes through after one game out of three.
It's that simple.

Listen son ;)
I did say it was possiblity that England may not qualify, but its very unlikely. You have to admit that England out of all the teams played so far, are probably in the best position to qualify. Beat T&T and we are through.

wilhelmsson decent (cannot stand his dives, in this game.. more exaggerations than dives.. but still),

Maybe I'm thinking of someone else but is Wilhelmsson the one that went down with an Academy award winning dive after a T&T player nearly hit him which resulted in said player getting a red card?

Maybe I'm thinking of someone else but is Wilhelmsson the one that went down with an Academy award winning dive after a T&T player nearly hit him which resulted in said player getting a red card?

The Swede with the hideous rat-tail actually did get hit with Avery John's two feet. It was an over-agressive tackle, I don't think he dived.

The Swede with the hideous rat-tail actually did get hit with Avery John's two feet. It was an over-agressive tackle, I don't think he dived.
I counted two blatant 'embelishments' in the first though. He was a disgrace

Can i just say:

COME ON ENGLAND!

Thankyou

You know, I NEVER thought I would say this about bloody football but...

I AM SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW'S GAME!!!

I've never really given a crap about football, I remember watching the grand total of one game when I lived there, but here I am, excited as hell for it.

I guess my English genes are kicking in, and I am finally acknowledging my native country's fave sport. For now at least...

I'm looking forward to today's Group B games. I'd like to see if Trinidad can keep up the way they played against Sweden, and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Sweden break through. It should be an interesting day of games

An England win sees them through, add in a draw in the other game and that sees them win the group.

Thats all I want.

An England win sees them through, add in a draw in the other game and that sees them win the group.

Thats all I want.

Guess what i want. :D

I am so nervous right now..

How long is it before David Beckham takes over this game?

Guess what i want. :D

I am so nervous right now..Whats the best result for your guys? An England win or a T & T win?

All the men in the world feel your pain, Dwight Yorke. :eek:

How long is it before David Beckham takes over this game?

Not long of he keeps getting those freekick attempts right outside the box.

Does Jacques Lemaire coach Trinidad?