LiveBlog: England-Sweden

June 20th, 2006 | by: Chris Heidrich |

Sweden snatched a late goal to draw England. England defended terribly from set pieces and corners, while Rooney looked pissed about being taken off just after halftime. England finish top of the group with 7 points, and Sweden join then in the Round of 16 with 5 points. Thanks for all your comments and looking forward to the next one.

Final: England 2-2 Sweden

Full-time: Well, for once my prediction was correct. England snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. They still finish top of the group, but the games they have played have not instilled any confidence that they will progress deep into the tournament. The Ecuador game should be a cracker as the speedy, physical South Americans try to expose the weaknesses of Terry and Ferdinand (let’s hope Sol does not play).

Sweden looked a shell of their former selves tonight. They will need Ibrahimovic to be fit for the next game or they will get man-handled by Germany. They’re a decent team, but not very deep. It doesn’t look good for them to progress past the hosts.

91:22 – Amazing. This game has 3 additoinal minutes to be played, but we may as well go home now. England still qualify first and will play Ecuador in the round of 16. Sweden will face Germany and English fans can be frustrated as hell with their team’s second half performance.

89:40 – GGGGGOOOOAAAALLLLL!! Sweden. The hex continues. England concede from a corner (surprise) and Larsson nips in the get the goal. Sol Campbell to blame there. Robinson was a joke, Ashley Cole should have stayed at home on his post, and England still cannot beat Sweden.

88:00 – More corners for Sweden. Linderoth has been giving great service. JohnTerry clears. Intensity is high now for the final minutes. Sweden desparate for a draw even though it doesn’t matter. Paraguay just scored their second on T&T.

86:06 – Sweden rocked by the goal. A corner for them but England deals with it this time. Another booking, this time for Ljungberg after colliding with Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole. Looked like a bump, but nothing vicious. Silly card for Ljungberg. But aren’t they all.

84:49 – GGGOOOOAAAAALLLLLL! England. Gerrard heads home from a Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole cross from the opposite side. Nice finish by the Liverpool man.

84:13 – Game devolving a little. Mostly being played in midfield, no side really taking many chances in attack.

82:45 – Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole gets scythed down from behind, which earns a yellow card for Alexandersson. Cole is fine, but in a bit of distress. Silly foul.

81:14 – England working their way up the field with a series of free kicks. Sam,e position as the Paraguay own goal in England’s first game. Beckham can’t deliver though and it sails harmlessly over the bar.

78:57 – Ljungberg breaks free and Hargreaves brings him down. Could easily have been another yellow card for him. The free kick again puts England in some bother at the back. Germany will kill them if they meet in the second round.

77:00 – Unusually Beckham is the forwardmost English player and the balls gets pumped into the box. Again he can’t head for shit and Edman clears for a corner. From the corner, England get a header on goal from Crouch but it’s straight at the keeper.

75:15 – Yellow card for Hargreaves. The first of the match. Seemed a little harsh for handball, but he’s annoying so I don’t care. Free kick for Sweden and again England cannot defend a set piece. The ball goes all the way across the 6 yard box without being touched.

73:53 – Goalscorer Allback off for Elmander. Is he an attacking player or is Sweden playing for the draw now? You’d think they’d have their tails up now. Let’s hope we don’t see a defensive last 15 mins.

72:50 – Beckham showing again that he’s crap in the air. He may have been held by Edman but he never jumped.

70:45 – Shot of Rooney on the bench. He’s either pissed at his performance or pissed at being taken off. I guess the latter. Corner for Sweden and again another chance saved off the line Gerrard clears Kallstrom’s mis-timed side volley after Robinson was well beaten.

68:45 – Rooney off, Gerrard on. Guess he’ll play in an attacking role since England don’t have much else. I would have preferred to see Lennon to give England some spark down the wing. Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole has been absent this half and Gerrard can’t afford to pick up another yellow card. And what about Wallcott?

66:50 – England’s attack breaks down….again… Sweden build and take their time. They are in control in this game now. Carragher is doing plenty of running chasing down the balls that Allback won’t leave alone. Who wants this one more? Crouch doing some work in the defensive third.

64:45 – Rare corner for England. Rooney looking red in the face. Crouch rose well to meet the corner but heads wide. England with 12 shots to Sweden’s 7, but all of Sweden’s coming in the second half.

63:16 – Shot of Sven on the bench. He’s looking a little anxious. Swedes really taking the game to England now. Nice to se after their lacklustre opening half of football.

62:00 – Great saving tackle by Sol Campbell as Sweden had a shooting chance on the edge of the English area.

60:40 – England trying to claw their way back into the match. Needing some sustained possession, which they’re doing. Not getting anywhere, but not conceding a corner either which is basically a license for Sweden to get a shot on goal.

58:40 – Another great chance for Sweden from another corner. England defendsing terribly from set pieces. Ball headed back across the area and Mellberg side volleys onto the crossbar. England leading a charmed life.

56:48 – Service from Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole getting better from the left side of the pitch. Not getting much support from England’s forwards though. Rio Ferdinand came off for Campbell. Let’s hope we see Sol’s head’s in the game.

55:16 – Replay shows Robinson almost getting out of the way of the header that came towards him from the corner. Still, he did enough to knock it onto the bar so I guess it was a good save. Campbell on the England in all the confusion, but I didn’t see for who.

53:40 – Jonsson off for Rat-boy. Another Swedish corner and off the cross bar. Great chance for Sweden and suddenly this game has come alive. Think it was Ljungberg with the chance. I gotta learn to type properly.

52:01 – Swedish coach Lagerback is going for the win now, looking to bring rat-boy Wilhelmsson on. England should step up the tempo hear if they want to win out the group. Nice cross by Joe Cole but Crouch was napping ball breaks the 18 yard box and Crouch spins and shoots but it dribbles to the keeper.

50:06 – GGGGOOOAAAALLLLL! for Sweden. The bloke I’ve been ripping all game, Allback scores with a header. Ashley Cole tried to save on the line but it was too powerful. Allback scores the 2000th goal in World Cup history. Just as well cos he likey won’t score another.

49:35 – Sweden starting to show more spark. Someone woke Ljungberg up at half time.

47:40 – Crouch kicks the crap out of Kallstrom with his 14 foot leg span. The first twig missed him but the second sweep caught Kim and the ball spilled free.

46:31 – Allback reminds me of a cartoon character. His legs move really fast but he getsnowhere. Does the Swedish league really suck that bad that he’s the leading scorer?

45:01 – Second half underway. Too bad Cole is on the far wing now. I won’t get to see him quite as much. Will we see Walcott this game? I think yes.

Half-time: All the creative play and attacking football Sweden showed against T&T and Paraguay (even though they failed to score) is non-existant today. They are missing Zlatan as a target man and Wilhelmsson as an attacking option on the wing. I can’t remember a single decent Sweden chance all half.

England, for their part, are playing fairly well. Beckham has been quiet but Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole has been very busy and productive. His final pass has been so-so, but he’s always dangerous. His goal was pretty to watch but I’m still not convinced he meant it to go where it did. Crouch has been busy after coming on for the injured Owen, but not active in the box. Lampard is threatening to score from outside the area again, and Rooney is obviously enjoying the playing time, but no one else for England is really standing out. They are defending well as a unit but they haven’t really has to deal with much creatively from Sweden.

Let’s see how the teams shape up for the second half. Let’s hope Sweden comes out with more attacking flair and takes the game to England.

44:49 – Amazingly it is England who are battling harder for the loose ball. Even though Paraguay are winning, the Swedes you’d think would be keen to chase a draw at least. Lampard makes a run into the box but his chip shot is easily caught by the ‘keeper.

41:24 – Ref is not letting Robinson get away with any time wasting. Rooney is looking busy but his timing is just a little bit off. The runs, touch and pases are not quite there yet. This workout will do him the world of good. Corner to England. Joe Cole and Beckham are pasing to each other across the 18 yard box. Eventual shot from Rooney is well struck but well overthe bar too. Not his usual style.

39:39 – Shot just over the bar from Lampard. He doesn’t want Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole to have all the glory in the dressing room for a screamer from 40 yards.

37:37 – Goal disallowed for Paraguay and T&T breathes a sigh of relief. No doubt Sweden is keeping a close eye on that game. If Paraguay wins, they can still loose this game and progress. Of course, the better course of action is to score, but so far it’s not been clear where the goals will come from. Allback has bene invisible, Larsson ineffective and Kallstrom the only bright spark.

35:25 – Happy for Cole to get that goal. He’s worked really hard for the team and that will give him some more confidence. Not that he really needs it, but the tricks and moves will only increase now, especially that the game does not have too much riding on it. I think he’s been given more license by Sven this game.

32:30 – GGGGGGOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole mis-kick ends up in the back of the net. Amazing goal that he’ll tell you he meant. Okay, on the replay he hit it true, but it was a looping old shot that was in the perfect place where the Swedish keeper could only get a hand to it.

30:40 – Bit of niggle entering the game. Mostly by England on the Swedes but only because the Swedes are better divers.

28:40 – England not looking dangerous, but set pieces are their specialty. An injury to swollen foot Ljungberg. Replay shows Carragher barely touched him, but if that foot is swelling with blood by the minute, I’m sure the slightest touch is enough to make him squeal.

27:11 – No goals here still, but Paraguay have scored via an own goal by Brent Sancho. Too bad for the big man. He proposed to his girlfriend via text message right before the England game.

24:45 – Rooney showing why he’s in the team. Brings a long ball down with one touch over the shoulder then battles into the box. His shot is blocked but that was real danger for the Swedes. Replay shows he took a knock on the foot while he was at it. He didn’t dive and his metatarsal appears fine.

23:33 – England have a free kick from a deeper position but Beckham’s ball is cleared away. Joe Cole’s deep cross is met but played too strong across the area by Crouch and the move breaks down.

22:00 – Kallstrom tries a shot/cross which sails harmlessly away and a view of the Swedish crowd show they’re not happy about it.

21:34 – Sweden have a free kick on the right side but no one in England knows why. Ashley Cole pleads to no avail.

20:13 – Crouch coming very deep to receive the ball. The ball breaks forward and Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole squeezes off a shot at the edge of the area that just flies over the bar. Noce effort and will give England confidence.

18:42 – Corner for Sweden laid to the far post where the Croatian defender volleys into an English player for another corner. It looked well struck and goal bound.

17:00 – Corner to Sweden, dealt with by England, but not before a weak punch by Robinson. The Black Cat is not so agile. Sweden starting to mount some possession and lay seige to the England penalty area.

15:29 – Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole showing he wants to be in the next Joga Bonito commercial (need to wear Nike for that, mate). His eventual cross (after 10 step-overs) is too high for Crouch, which tells you just how high he must have kicked it.

14:06 – Sweden coming foward and again it’s Kallstrom who wins a header in the box. It goes softly wide, but Sweden showing they can attack.

13:08 – Rooney is hustling and bustling but not really getting a good touch on the ball to this point. All England wants him to be their saviour in this World Cup. Let’s hope that metatarsal is made of stern stuff.

11:30 – Nice build up by England falls short when Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole’s cross is partially blocked on the left wing and Sweden clear.

09:45 – Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole releases Rooney but he’s called offside. Replay shows a blown call by the linesman. Too bad for England.

08:30 – Swollen foot Lungfish Ljungberg is whinging again. Great player, but boy can he whinge. You’d think he’d be a naturalized Englishman with all that whinging.

07:12 – Kallstrom, having earned his place in the starting line up for Sweden, is proving a handful in the English area. Whistle blown for a foul and the danger passes.

06:01 – Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole with a quick run up the wing but it goes nowhere. Still no goals here. Another shot by Lampard, straight at the ‘keeper.

04:11 – Sweden excerting some pressure. Wonder if the Owen injury will effect England’s focus. Corner for Sweden. Carragher having problems with the wily Larsson.

2:20 – Shot from Lampard scewed wide. Owen on a stretcher. We’re not seeing him again tonight. Bad news for the little striker, good news for England cos he was not in good form. Crouch comes in to replace Owen. Let’s hope it’s not serious.

01:20 – Early scare for England as Owen goes down clutching his knee. Was not under challenge, he just twisted it. England playing with 10 men for the moment.

00:30 – England ‘keeper Robinson looking very sharp in all black. Not doubt they’ll be referencing the Black Cat at some point during the game.

00:01 – We’re off. Let the war begin and let’s see some balls hitting the back of the net. Goals have been hard to come by for both teams. Own goals and late winners have been the order of the day. We’ll be keeping one eye on the T&T vs Paraguay game too and try to keep up with the permutations and computations of Group B.

National Anthems: Swedes a mixed bag of who’s singing and who’s not. They look pretty loose and relaxed. Let’s hope they’re taking the game somewhat seriously and they haven’t come to some handshake agreement in the tunnel with England ala Germany vs Austria.

England belting out God Save the Queen to a man. Except Rooney who may be struggling not to cry. he again he may be struggling to put a thought together. Hard to tell.

Few minutes to go: Good news for England as the line-ups are displayed. Ibrahimovic is out, Allback taking his place. Allback couldn’t hit a barn door with a bucket of rice in the last two games so England can simply leave him to his own devices.

England wearing their snazzy red away jerseys. Sweden in traditional yellow. Great support for both teams in the crowd, as you’d expect. Lot’s of these players will know each other well, most of them making their livings in England, or have at one point.

Pregame: What is your prediction?
I’m going out on a limb, well not that much of a limb since I’m giving two results, but I reckon this game will be a 2-2 draw or 3-0 to England. The weight of history is against the English, who have not won against the Swedes since they last had a King, or some silly number like that.

Ironically for Trinidad & Tobago, all the press and whinging about Crouch’s foul on Sancho for England’s first goal, they now must support England for them to beat Sweden so that if T&T win their game against Paraguay they have an outside shot at qualifying for the seond round. Goals will be important in both games, but will England go for the jugular if they are 1 or 2 goals up, knowing a late equalizer does not matter to them.

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Deviilz.

England to win this…?
matthew

England decides to show up for the first time in this cup and blows away Sweden.

3-0 THREE LIONS
matthew

This next two hours waiting is proving unbearable. I don’t even get to watch the whole game at the pub as it starts at 3pm here in NYC and I’m taking my hour lunch to watch the first half there. Then it’s run back to work and catch the 2nd half while my evil overlord (boss) throws paper clips at me, makes me dance to the sound of a six-shooter, and generally ruins what could have been a glorious 90 minutes drinking with my mates and watching the best team in the world beat the ever loving crud out of Sweden.
Takeshi

With Owen and Rooney paired up, England should win this one.

GO ENGLAND!!!!
GO ENGLAND!!!!
GO ENGLAND!!!!
GO ENGLAND!!!!
GO ENGLAND!!!!
GO ENGLAND!!!!
GO ENGLAND!!!!
http://ecuador.worldcupblog.org/ Trent

England should win, as they’ve shown more class up to this point(which isn’t saying much in this Group).

Nevertheless, Sweden have enough striking capability to make a one-goal lead seem awfully small.
Deviilz.

Will the English prove that their really serious about winning the cup time..?
Maybe this will be a goodbye present for Swen the big-mouth Eric…,prominently against his own country.
Deviilz.

Remember…,for this game,maybe the only good news for England is the fact that Goran IB. will not be fielded because of groin injury..,as his replacement will be Allback who failed horrifically in the premiership..!
Deviilz.

Common England…!!!
You are the man..!
Stuart

I’ll go with Sweden, I think they still have England’s number…2-1.

Still…should England prevail, the stage would be set for a ‘66 cup final rematch with Germany and England on opposite sides of the knockout ladder.
Deviilz.

Can Rooooonie and co. deliver…even by 1 goal margin..?
SES

England, 3-2.

That’s the most ambitious I’ve been with my predictions.

Sweden could pull off another upset though as they’re a great team with a good defense. Rooney’s appearance in this match should be fascinating to watch.
Stuart

SES – agreed abou Rooney, will be VERY interesting to see how fit he is.
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONEY!
jdub

Sweden 2 – England 2

With sweden taking control of the parking lot in a nasty hooligan shootout. (vikings always beat knights)
Keyser

Good evening, bonsoir, goedeavonds, buenas noches, bonasera, boa noite!
It’s much better (at least on paper) play against ecuador than germany, so I expect a nice game here.
I predict: England 2-1 Sweden.
Deviilz.

Players for players,the English does fare better than the Swedes..!They seems to be more motivated..!
Andres

Hey, hey, hey, remember what group this is. I say a very tight 1-0 for England or a 1-1, at most, they’re probably scared of playing Germany next.
Deviilz.

Jdub…,have you forgotten about Rio and Terry..?
Can the Swedes get pass them..?
I don’t think so..!
bobbio

England! All is forgiven! Please destroy Sweden 8-0 so that Trinidad progress over a defeated Paraguay!
Tom DeCoster

tie predicted
jdub

Deviilz…,
Yeah. I forgot about them.

Sweden will play with nothing to lose. The pressure is on England. If Sweden can play the Brits to a draw at the half, maybe they’ll start pushing and taking more chances. If England scores first though, they’ll probably just sit back and look for a counter.
jdub

Plus…
Im really just here for the parking lot brawl.
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http://www.thesportingrogue.com/blog J. Michael

I hope England win, because next round is way too early for them to face Germany.

1-0 Ingerland
http://www.cablog.com.au adrian

Righto JDub, you-me, carpark now ! Nah, only jokin’.

Seriously, I’m going to bed if the Poms play that long ball stuff. Boring.
Tom

Hmm…

2-0 England. I don’t see Sweden scoring, but I see England holding a 1-0 lead until late in the second and maybe a scoreless first half.
Roland

This will be the game that should answer all my questions about England. I think the Swedes will prove troublesome. Final score 2 – 2.
nikhil

does anyone remember that sweden has not lost to england for about 4 decades. so all ye england supporters can only hope for a draw at most. i’m with the swedes.
Tom

Nikhil,

Those sorts of statistics tend to mean little. Sweden isn’t hot and England will attempt to quiet its critics, I think. England has the stronger squad.
bobbio

Ingerland Ingerland Ingerlaaaaaand
Ingerland Ingerland Ingerlaaaa-und
Ingerland Ingerland Ingerlaaand
Ingerlaa-und, Ing-ger-land…
Deviilz.

The first half will be important for England on whether to go for a win or a draw ..,frankly speaking I’m hoping the Swedes can score first to make the game more open with goalS..!Otherwise England will sit back to secure the lead…,boring.
Tom

I hope you are correct, Roland. I want a good game, I just think it’ll be a bore fest with England shutting out Sweden.
Deviilz.

Anyway fyi…,in my part of the country the English are the fav. to win with the odds of -,1/2 goals losing only -850.
bobbio

Rooney better live up to the hpe and score 3 goals to make up for the action he’s missed!
Delama

let’s GO ENGLAND!! I think they have a good chance to win the cup they are a strong team, but need to bring themselves together and work out a game plan
nikhil

hi tom.
another reason to hoot for england is that they have the hotter supporters. haha. lets say best of luck to both teams. i too wouldn’t like to see a eng ger death match in the next round itself.
bobbio

England must go for the jugular to silence the British Press! And because my taxpayer’s money demands it!
http://www.cablog.com.au adrian

..but need to bring themselves together and work out a game plan

Game plan ? For england ? What a novel idea.
donkey1

rooney will score within 39 mins
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Sven Goran Eriksson is Swedish
Matt

Hey, is The Sun’s audio working for anyone out there? It doesnt seem to be working for me!!!
Honeyman

1-1.
Deviilz.

Oh..??!!?
what a suprise mr. India.
avenue

England, my love!I’m the student of English on my third year and I’m a fan of English football, British accent, tea, beer etc. Let’s go England!
Roland

Sweet, Lions are wearing their red kit. Can’t imagine why…
Matt

Nevermind, I’ve got audio!

ENGLAND!!!
Delama

lol good old Rooney…always doing something F***ED up…oh wlel that’s why we love him
dietmar

sweden-3
england-1
http://sports.godblessthefreaks.org Philip

Why is Ibrahamovic not playing?
SES

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13436796/

A Scot bet $73,000 on an English victory against Sweden.
http://sports.godblessthefreaks.org Philip

Sorry, Ibrahimovic, I get my name misspelled and its no fun…. :)
Alessandro

GO GO FISH AND CHIPS PUDDING EATING BUNNIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dietmar

although could be 0-0
Roland

Bad luck for Owen.
Lloyda from Guyana

i want england win…to give my soca warriors a fighting chance
nikhil

hey guys
just log on to http://clients.mediaondemand.net/theSun/?Channel=1 for live audio
http://sports.godblessthefreaks.org Philip

C’mon, Sverige! Send England to get eliminated by the hosts instead of getting eliminated by the Ecuas. Although on second thought, the latter case would be funnier.

Anglophilia: Just say no!
Alessandro

Hey, maybe we’re lucky enough to get Peter Crouch robotic dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Roland

Lampard has moved up. Looks like a 4 – 4 – 2 for England.
dietmar

terrible shot
Thomas

Horrible for Owen, hate to see a guy go down like that so early. Was hoping to see him do great things today.
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo…Owen.
Roland

Pity that offsides, it was a good pass.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

fairly even 10 minutes
dietmar

sweden looks a little slow
Manu

C’mon England…
dietmar

looks like rooney was itchin’ to get off that bench
Stuart

It’s fun listening to the Sun audio…the English announcers are MUCH more excited about this match with England playing. Even on the Swedish runs, they’re REALLY into it.
dietmar

nice cross
Tom

Wow, England is controlling but not nearly as aggressive as I thought they would be.
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

E
N
G
L
A
N
D
Alessandro

Where’s the queen?
dietmar

i wounder if croutch is too tall for a bicycle
Roland

That header was just off. Owen injury doesn’t seem to have fazed them much.
GO SWEDEN

GOOOOO SWEDEN…SWEDEn ROX
Alessandro

It will be a draw… I guess, I can sense it in the the Sun commentators’ tone…
GO SWEDEN

i really hope sweden wins…. i mean they cant just loose the record of never being beaten by england for like 37 years
Alessandro

Crouch probably drives a Jaguar, I guess he doesn t give a damn about bikes…
dietmar

almost seen one yesterday
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

pedestrian football
Tom

Horrible corners by Sweden
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

Have they subbed for Owen yet?
dietmar

maybe in your area they call’em banana kicks
GO SWEDEN

Freddie Ljungberg is tha best.. hes gonna score ./.. im sooo sure ….dont uthink?
Roland

Cole is playing well, despite being high on that shot.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Sweden waste the freekick
GO SWEDEN

they subbed owen like ages ago
Trinichica

come on crouch pull someone else’s hair and score we need u boys to win
GO SWEDEN

come on …score
Manu

—————
| E |
| N |
| G |
| E N G L A N D |
| A |
| N |
| D |
—————
GO SWEDEN

SHIT
Roland

Rooney needs to beat his man in that situation, provoke a penalty if possible.
dietmar

wheres jamie lee curtis when you need her..
GO SWEDEN

HAHA CLOSE BUT NOT GOAL
brian34

Might as well play Gerrard now. Eriksson’s such a putz.
GO SWEDEN

Haha close again
Stuart

England definitely sounding more dangerous so far…can’t be long before they get one
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

Rooney is making a huge difference.
dietmar

just unlucky
Tom

I agree Stuart. They aren’t quite playing at the level of Germany’s play earlier but they are creating chances and it’ll only be a matter of time before it’s 1-0
Alessandro

GO GO SWEDEN
Trinichica

paraguay just scored
GO SWEDEN

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
dietmar

bend it like beckam
Roland

Sucks, on an autogoal.
dietmar

i guess he dont know what a bicycle kick is
http://www.atmysports.com jack

other match is intresting
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

England dominated last 10 min, but no goal
Tom

Beckham, for all of his non-soccer media attention, really is a good player. I thought I’d say that.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

J.Cole !
Tom

Goal! Cole on a far kick!
bobbio

England now have to Win 3 nil to clear up the goal difference for Trinidad!
Roland

WHAT A GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL!!!!
dietmar

what a beauty
http://www.atmysports.com jack

goal england
Manu

cole great mate
E-W
1-0
hoa

OMG!!! what a shot!!!
Roland

Best goal of the Cup so far. Torres’ reign is brief.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

JOE COLE!!!!

TAKE THAT YOU UGLY CAR MAKING ABBA LOVERS!!! ASSEMBLE MY FURNITURE FOR ME!!!!!!
Manu

just for record that 1,999 goal in world cup history
Roland

Thanks for the laugh, dw. Priceless.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

That was a joke, by the way.
Delama

let’s GO ENGLAND!!!!! Kick those swedish pansy asses…
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

YEAH ENGLAND!!!!!!!
Stuart

Man, what a shot…the ONLY place he could have put it from there and gotten it in. Nicely done England!
Joe Cole

Thanks, guys.
http://www.atmysports.com jack

This goal deserves a prize
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

that could be the goal of the tournament !!
Manu

Lampard, slowly does it… you’ll get chance
Lloyda from Guyana

come on England kick some swedish butt. u r the soca warriors only chance.
dietmar

thats what the US has to do shoot the freakin ball
Stuart

Sounds like England’s finally decided to enter the tournament.

Sweden’s missing Zlatan on attack.
Tom

Zlatan is missed, but England is keeping the attack going strong. Sweden needs to get a bit more aggressive and energized.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Sweden is making silly errors in defence now
Roland

You think there’s a little resentment from the Swedes towards Eriksson right now?
Stuart

Sun announcer just called the key of the match…England’s getting the 2nd balls. MUCH more intensity than Sweden thus far, England came to play. 2nd half will be interesting…
donkey1

watch this game live and all the worldcup games on your pc
http://www.livefootball.biz
Andres

Hey, my prediction’s holding up so far. Wow, I was thinking it’d be very wrong since when I feel a game ought to go a certain way it rarely does.
dietmar

english tempo-play it to the keeper!
Roland

Lampard got nothing on that. And that’s the half.
Manu

Excellent first half Second half should be very interesting
Tom

Lampard could have had a nice shot but he didn’t do much with it. Oh well, half.
http://brazil.worldcupblog.org Zé

This Joe Cole guy… he’s good. Goal of the WC until now IMO.
http://brazil.worldcupblog.org Zé

I guess I should start calling him “Zé Cole” by now, by the way.
dietmar

i still like the very first one the germans scored in the opener. this one looked stopable…
Trinichica

now we have to pray for 3 more goals from england and just 2 from T&T
Kiko

England look sharp today!
Stuart

That’s the spirit, Tinichica!
Roland

Maybe it was a lucky, but it was a good two touch shot on goal. Note the distance too; impressive even if it was off the keeper’s hands.
http://www.pierretristam.com Pierre’s Total Football

A typical England-Sweden game: dull but for the grease of Rooney.
Andrew

I hope the Swedes come out swingning, I was hoping for a real good rivalry game, what with all the talk about England not beating the Swedes in 38 years
Roland

It seems England only looks for Crouch in the box.
Stuart

Well, well, well…Allbach shows up.

The match is ON!
dietmar

gooooooooollllllllllll
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

1-1 !!
Roland

GGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL SWEEEEEEDEEEEEEENNNNNN!!!!
Roland

oooOH baby, we got us a game.
http://www.atmysports.com jack

sweden goooooooooaaaaaaaalllllllll
GOAL!

GOAL! YEEEEES!
Stuart

We’ll see how England responds…and Sweden for that matter. The latter still need more pluck in their step. This could be a high-scoring affair as the sides tire.
ETucker

I bet this game would be a tie…so please, both teams, stop scoring immediately!
Roland

Top post saves England. Druids are rejoicing.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

almost another goal for Sweden
Bobbio

And Trinidad is out. Man. It didn’t have to end this way. They could’ve been the greatest!
GOAL!

How close was that?!?
Roland

The top bar has shown up quite a bit this tournament. The atmosphere in the stadium is electric right now.
Stuart

GREAT match…maybe the best so far. Sweden seem to have more wind in their sails now.
dietmar

hey etucker,
you didnt bet 70 grand on this, did ya?…lol
GOAL!

and how close was that?
http://dunno morsey

cum on sweden im welsh so plz win
Amil

England couldn’t beat Arsenal.
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Sweden waste a great chance
http://dunno morsey

cum on beckam and rooney gerrard ferdinand and terry score 4 me
Andrew

England should just lose… ENGLAND v GERMANY first round!!!
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

England is sounding like they left it on the field in the first half. Not a good sign.
Lenny

*Watches England cum on Sweden*
Stuart

England are reeling now…amazing change of feeling…this is great stuff now that Sweden’s in the game. Wow!
http://dunno morsey

ye i now im welsh but i need those to score cos i put a bet on
Roland

Great action in this second half.
dietmar

england looks shell-shocked!
Andrew

The type of game I’ve been praying for…
Stuart

England better regroup or they could be in real trouble…fortunately it’s only the opening round and they’re already through. If they don’t want to face Germany next, they better find their form again.
http://dunno morsey

is it
tell me who scores
ETucker

What do England and a house of cards have in common?
Andrew

They fall faster than a 2 cent hooker?
Roland

Gut check time for both teams. Who wants this win more? Momentum favoring Sweden right now. The Lions must dig deeper.
http://dunno morsey

r england playin crap en
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

They have 13 hearts?
brian34

Sol Campbell, ha ha ha… who else is going to bring of the bench, Alan Shearer? What about Teddy Sherringham? What a wanker.

It’s Gerrard time. Swallow your pride Eriksson.
ETucker

any word on Michael Owen? I hope he is alright….
Andrew

Gerrard is not a wise move, even though I would love to see the kid have a chance at the golden boot, but in a game that has suddenly found some intensity, he might pick up another card.
http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2006/liveblog-england-sweden.html cb

I’ve been coming to the blogs on this site and this is the first time I’m turned off by the commentary. Couldn’t they have found a more neutral person to handle this. Chris, I’m going to the NYtimes for the remainder of this game because I need something a little more neutral than your play-by-plays. yuck! :-
http://dunno morsey

so waz appenin
dietmar

should be 3-1
Andrew

Well atleast he voiced his comments instead of coming after you De Rossi style
Alessandro

GO GO GO PARAGUAY!!!
Pip

Come on England pull your socks up!
GOAL!

Rooney seems a bit angry :P
Roland

England saves – Gerrard!
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

lucky escape for england again
Roland

Guess the Gerrard move was the right one;)
dietmar

got them on the ropes!
Stuart

WHEW! That was close…England hanging on by fingernails…
Alessandro

I think, all you need guys is a good dance in the box from your great 2meters mate Peter Crunch
Roland

My first cup, at least the earliest that I remember clearly, was 1982.
http://dunno morsey

gd god fukin answer me
dietmar

sorry bout the boxin thing!
ETucker

Its official: Sven is the worst coach of all time.

I hope Gerrard gets a yellow card, Owen is injured, and we get treated to the much feared Crouch-Walcott tandem.

Jermaine Jenas has to be furious right now…
http://dunno morsey

i play 4 wales in rugby
Henna

oh the suspense — grateful as can be for you all, though, can’t even get an audio feed for either match & drowning in work here … thanks for all that typing!
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

no Rooney
no Owen

…

tear
http://www.atmysports.com jack

wish i could see another goal soon , no matter which country
http://none Pip

Nerves,tension i cant take it much more.Go ENGLAND
Roland

My cable went out for a few seconds.

I almost had a heart attack.
Alessandro

Meanwhile England ship is sinking, where’s the Queen?
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

morsey makes no friggin’ sense…you’re from UK and you’ve got the worst English dude
Stuart

NO! Sun’s audio stream just broke down…
http://dunno morsey

lolololool
Alessandro

Run Bunnies run!!
dietmar

dont worry you’d go to soccer heaven
Stuart

YES! Audio’s back…
Dan Lourenco

Those English blokes don’t seem like they have what it takes to get to the final. They better wake up in the knockout round if they want to progress… of course, based on previous results, I’d like Portugal to play them :)
ETucker

Hargreaves is a good distributor and solid tackler, but his chronic lack of pace will be his (and England’s) undoing at this level.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

The Owen injury is killing them, not from missing him, but because it burned one of their substitutions very early. Right now they need Lennon or Wolcott on the pitch.

Why does England look so out of shape?
dietmar

what a chess match
Roland

Hah, just as England was beginning to despair. But this isn’t over…
http://none Pip

Ohhhh you beauty….Stevie Gerrard pops one in.
GOAL!

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Stuart

UNBELIEVABLE! From the depths of dispair, England takes another! WOW!
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

THERE YOU GO!
ETucker

Nooooooooooooo…

Another late goal for England. Just like the Argentina game!
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

YEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Roland

I told you.
Alessandro

Sweden deserves a deaw
Alessandro

LOL
http://none Pip

Ohhh bollocks
http://pepys_s.rediffblogs.com/ mohan

Goal for Sweden !!!
dietmar

0-0, 2-2, who cares!
GOAL!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!! It’s only fair that Sweden score..
Roland

2 – 2. I knew the Swedes would vex them
dietmar

GOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

Oh, England. Thank you for making the US team look good.
Stuart

OH MY GOD! What a MATCH! Only England would find a way to steal failure from the jaws of success.
ETucker

tears of joy! thank you Sweden!

please, chaps, no more goals!
Alessandro

good second half for the Swedes
Alessandro

this god save the queen anthem is getting boring
thom

‘Brazilian Englishman Joe Cole’ , I’m smelling a copy+paste job here ;)
Trav

Go Poland, wait – I mean England.
http://none Pip

Good game all round.Hope the Swedes beat the gerries,and bring on Equador.
http://www.thefa.com/England/ Takeshi

Oh England…you couldn’t hold off the Swedes for 8 minutes…

very disapointing
Alessandro

I predict both teams get trashed next round
Roland

Sweden just has their number. If I were Eriksson, I would not underestimate Ecuador, or the Lions could very easily go home early.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

England has to figure out pace and conditioning, and soon. That second half looked like one of those Gatorade commercials with Keith Jackson going on about how some team all got heatstroke because they weren’t drinking their Gatorade.
Henna

never a dull moment today … well, OK, but compensation for the dull moments
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/worldcupfan/ dw

Agreed Roland. Right now I’m not sure that I wouldn’t think Ecuador is a mild favorite.
cmaik

did Mellberg get a touch on or was it Larsson – we have $5 riding on it
http://www.flopearedmule.blogspot.com Amanda

It’s not a hex. It’s shit defending on set pieces. No supernatural explanation necessary.
Stuart

If the England and Sweden fans don’t get together for a few beers after that game it’ll be a real shame.
Andrew

With England’s proformance thus far in the tournament, I wouldn’t consider them losing to Ecuador going home early but rather on time
arcturus

One of the best games so far. England played the best they have in this WC in the first half. Then, they showed their soft underbelly: aerial game in set pieces. Imagine that…England falling victim to what everyone thinks is one of their strengths. (sigh)
Trinichica

well even if we had won we wouldnt have gone to round two… colonising us, superimposing your ideals on us, pulling our hair, losing to sweden, what else can you do?
Tom DeCoster

As I predicted, a tie. These games are too predictable. It’s only the script that changes, not the result.
Nadeem

England’s za best! im damn sure englnd will go on final wz germany!! com’on ENGLANDDDD!!
Mcthingy2

High comedy defending from England. Still they’ll stuff Ecuador – the second rate South American powers don’t like it up ‘em. Predict 2-0 to England then either Holland or The Argies in the quarters…..
http://www.worldcupblog.org/daily-wrap-up/june-20-the-daily-world-cup-wrap.html June 20: The Daily World Cup Wrap – FIFA World Cup 2006 – World Cup 2006 Blog

[...] Other World Cup Stuff World Cup Store World Cup Betting Mobile Phone World Cup World Cup Photos World Cup Videos World Cup Marketplace World Cup Tickets Travel to Germany Add this blog to: MyYahoo, Google, Bloglines, Home » Daily Wrap Up « LiveBlog: England-Sweden | Home | [...]
brian34

Gerrard is the best in the world, proves it once again. Eriksson’s one of the worst. God love ‘em. Somebody’s got to.
Gabe

What were the tickets selling for outside of the stadium before game start????
http://sports.godblessthefreaks.org Philip

With England’s proformance thus far in the tournament, I wouldn’t consider them losing to Ecuador going home early but rather on time

Bravo, very well said. Mcthingy2 just might get a surprise from “the second rate South American powers.”
CTL

England have Gerrard to thank yet again (goal and goal-line clearance) and will not meeting be meeting Germany in the next round.

England’s defence is a big worry, especially against quality opposition.

I see England to take care of Ecuador but they’ll fall short (again!!!) in the last 8 against either Holland or Argentina (or Germany).

However,if England can beat the Dutch or the Argies (or the Krauts), the World Cup is theirs to take. Dream on…
hoa

Joe cole’s shot was world-class. Becks did not play his A game today: He was slow defensively and offensively. I think England can benefit with young enegetic Lennon in the line up or comming from the bench.
DeKaY

I smell a “FIX”. The match was too predictable.
Ricardo

i know what i’m doing if i’m Ecuador’s manager in the next round. Pretty much every corner and free kick looked in danger of going in for sweden.
Where does this vulnerability come from? If anything England were the kings of set-pieces before the world cup started and now it looks as if they’re extremely vulnerable in those situations.

Arguably, i am a bit disappointed with Sweden. I don’t really understand why they only pushed it when in disadvantage. When at 1-1 they could easily have tried for the win, since England’s defence was all over the place. I mean, for Allback to score. He’s the perenial ‘almost’. They can’t fancy beating Germany. Or can they?

Does anybody know whether Ibrahimovic will be back for the next one?
http://thebiglead.com/?p=547 The Big Lead » blog » A Nation Winces

[...] England/Sweden liveblog (World Cup Blog) Woe De Cologne (The Sun) Owen Out For 9 Months (Mirror) Bring Me the Head of Sven Goran Eriksson (Red Card) [...]
http://kg.typepad.com/banter Dr. Zubov

Game highlights can be found here including slow-mo of Owen’s knee collapsing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIFHGDc3yAw
http://yahoo hm

germany
Divya(India)

I think compared to last match England performance was better,but i did not expect that sweden has scored a goal against England.Good start by Joe cole to score a good goal,really they have to buck up in the next match.Good luck
Nadj

Amazing how people believe the media hype of the english team as if what they say about the team is true. Anyone who has little knowledge about the game knows that the team is not bad, but also is not the at the greatness they want us to believe. Lets see if they can pass the first obstacle “the ECU obstacle” it a bigger obstacle than most of you think. Though I am a fan of good football and would like to see the better team win. In this case I am not sure which one is the better team, my vote goes to Ecuador though anything can happen in football.