LiveBlog: Sweden-Paraguay

Another late winner. Freddie Ljungberg headed home for Sweden in the 88th minute, giving them a very good chance of going through.

Full Time: Sweden 1-0 Paraguay

-Thanks to everyone for stopping by and keeping me company during this game, even Thom. Special thanks to everyone who played the 0-0 game, and to jkeep for teaching me the difference between a hook and a slice.

-A thousand apologies for the technical problems. Couldn’t have been worse timing with the goal and all. Luckily, about 50 people in the comments section were there to share the news.

-it has to be “Ronaldo”s “The ball they are playing with will die a virgin - never to enjoy the tender feeling of a net” but there were plenty other great ones too. Thanks for all of them, helped to get me through a fairly dull game.

Full-time Sweden get a 1-0 win. Maybe just about deserved. One last look at the 0-0 phrases to pick a winner.

92:00 More technical problems.

88:00GOOOAAALLLLL!!!!!!! Ljungberg heads home at the back post. 0-0 no more.

86:43 Sorry folks. Technical problems. Don’t worry, no one missed anything.

79:00Allback hooks a volley from over his shoulder. Bob dives to catch it on the line. Hallo to Thom who stopped by just to insult me.

76:30 Valdez with a strike from distance. Again Isaksson catches without flinching.

74:00 Still 0-0, or as Takeshi would have it “The Bra - holding everything even and firm”.

71:00 Caniza shoots wide. Can’t tell if that was a hook or a slice. Can jkeep see a screen? If so let us know what that was.

70:00 Still 0-0. Or, as “Ronaldo” says:

“The ball they are playing with will die a virgin - never to enjoy the tender feeling of a net.”

68:00 Larsson heads just over.

67:20 Wilhelmsson leaves the field, closely followed by his rat tail (I’m not completely convinced that thing’s dead). Mattias Jonson on to replace him.

63:00 Wilhelmsson rat tail drives it wide, but does hit the cameraman, which has to be worth something. This game is picking up as Sweden start to apply some pressure.

62:00 Caniza clearly very keen for the 0-0 phrase competition to continue.

58:30 Seems Allback fouled Caniza trying to force the ball home, and the Swedish striker is booked. Loving Allback’s effort though.

58:30 Allback lobs Bob, who thought he’d scored but Paraguayan defender Caniza clears off the line, similar to Joh n Terry earlier.

58:00 Acuna with a decent shot, but Isaksson catches without trouble.

55:00 Still 0-0. A few more phrases to celebrate? “P0-0P”, “a very boring game”, “I find this lack of goals… disturbing”, “unfertilised egg”, “sitzkrieg”, “craptacular,” “whole lotta nothing,” and the not very politcally correct (but still funny) “all oh’s and no hoes”.

More please!

53:45 Larsson strikes a decent free kick (hooked it round the wall jkeep!) but Bob makes a good diving save.

52:40 Larsson fouled just outside the box. I thought it was inside. Replays shows I’m wrong. Good work ref.

50:20 Acuna tackles Allback from behind and gets a yellow. Impressed with Allback’s work rate, makes you realise how lazy Zlatan is.

47:00 Surprised by that substitution. Ibrahimovic is more or less their biggest name, though it might mean less long balls as Allback is a bit shorter, and likley to put in a bit more effort.

45:00 Second half underway. Allback on Ibrahimovic off. Valdez strikes the side netting.

A few more 0-0 phrases: “Goose Eggz” (zee optional), “Love-all” (a la tennis) giving us “Love-eres quarell”, the surreal but brilliant “your nostrils as you lean back in your chair sleeping”, “two balls on a short stick” (a variant on dumb-bell), “not so sweet nothings” (unless you’re from Trinidad and/or Tobago) “Goggled” (-0-0-) and “‘Twas all to nil.”

Liking all these. Any more?

Should point out that while this is a competition, there are no prizes. Except the prize of winning.

0-0 phrases so far, in no particular order: “dumbells,” “sleeping snowman,” “nothing but naught,” the suggestive “oh, oh, she said”, “castling match” (requires some chess knowledge), and the very literary “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (which I believe is from “the Scottish play,” am I right?)

All good stuff so far, better than Sweden vs Paraguay. Keep ‘em coming. Competition remains open until someone scores in this game.

Half Time Collecting phrases for a goalless draw now.

42:00 Larsson misses with a bicycle kick in a crowded area.

40:00 I’m awake! Nunez strikes from an angle. Only just wide. Then Ibrahimovic with a great chance at the other end. One on one with Bob, but make sit too easy for the keeper.

39:21 zzz zzzz zzzzz

36:15 I want to start a competition in the comments section. Looking for the best phrase for describing 0-0.

35:31 0-0. Still no thriller, but at least this could genuinely go either way.

33:00 Larsson with a bullet of a header, but it’s stright at Bob who catches it no problem.

31:37 Roque Santa Cruz slices a shot wide of goal. JP Dellacamera said he drilled it wide but I know better thanks to jkeep.

29:00 ‘jkeep’ answers the hook/slice question for me:

“outside of the foot = slice
inside of the foot = hook

hooks cross the body’s center line. slices move away from the body

most curves in football are ‘hooks’”

Actually very obvious when you think about it. Glad I embarrassed myself in public though.

24:00 Nice close up of Wilhelmmson’s rat tail hair-piece as he unsuccessfully appeals for a corner. I hate to think there any impressionable Swedish teenagers who would copy that haircut.

23:17 Depsite my contractual obligations (see below) this isn’t the best game in the whole word ever.

20:00 The pattern looks like Paraguay passing, Sweden hoofing long balls towards Ibrahimovic.

17:00 Kim Kallstrom with another left footed shot. This one looks like a bad golf tee shot though. Sliced (or is it hooked?) into the crowd. Does anyone know their golf terminology?

15:00 Ljungberg breaks away down the left, feed Ibrahimovic who squares it. Bob collects but it looked dangerous. Kallstrom gets down the right and cuts it back, but no dice. Sweden will look to get down the flanks if they’ve got any sense.

14:00 Santa Cruz hits the side netting, but he was offside.

13:30 Yellow card for Linderoth. Reckless challenge.

12:15 Wilhelmsson (of rat tail fame) with a low strike from distance. Inches wide.

12:00 Gammara has gone four times longer without scoring an o.g. than he did against England. Well done to him.

8:30 Kallstrom with a left footed strike from around 30ish yards. Absolutely fantastsic save from Bobadilla (who will be knwon as Bob from now on, in honour our World Cup Blog Managing Editor). Two corners come to nowt.

7:00Looking scrappy. Sweden are wearing yellow but this won’t be like watching Brazil. Or Ecuador (they played some good stuff this morning.)

5:30 According to ESPN stats department, Sweden average 3 goals per game in qualifying. But according to JP Dellecamera England only beat Trinidad1-0 earlier. Is he sure about that?

4:30 Kallstrom dribbles through the middle. it’s Riveros’ turn to hack him down. They look scared of him.

3:30 Riveros hacks down Kallstrom. Pretty cynical.

2:00 Bobadilla beats Larsson to a through ball. Seems a forward line of Larsson and Ibrahimovic would guarantee goals, but Sweden haveing a bit of a drought, even before last Saturday.

1:00 Atmosphere sounds great. Sweden seem keen on long balls.

0:00 We’re underway.

-Just a few minutes till kick off.

-John Harkes and JP Dellacamera are the commentators on ESPN. Harkes is the best of a bad bunch. If things get nasty we’re switching to Univision though. You’ve been warned ESPN.

-What does everyone make of reports that the Swedish players are arguing amongst themselves? Apparently Mellberg and Ljungberg had a bit of a barney after the Trinidad game, but the Swedish PR people say it never happened.

-Kim Kallstrom replaces Anders Svensson from the last game. I’ve heard good things about this youngster (think he’s arbout 23 or so).

-Expecting both teams to go at each other. Sweden have just the one point (and no goals) after playing the supposed Group B whipping boys, while Paraguay have no points and no goals.

-Should be a good game. Not just hyping it up becasue of LiveBlog contractual obligations (though I am legally required to say every game is the best in the whole world ever).

-Paraguay: Bobadilla, Gamarra, Nunez, Caceres, Caniza, Bonet, Acuna, Paredes, Riveros, Santa Cruz, Valdez.

-Sweden: Isaksson, Lucic, Mellberg, Linderoth, Edman, Ljungberg, Alexandersson, Kallstrom, Wilhelmsson, Ibrahimovic, Larsson.

-I’m getting absolutely no pre-match from the good (meaning bad) people at ESPN, or the good people(I presume they’re good, but have no idea what they’re saying) at Univision. Will bring you the line ups in a moment though, promise.

-Sweden will be pleased to see Bobadilla in goal today, and not Shaka Hislop.

Pregame: This game is kind of important for both sides, eh? Who do you think is going to win?