LiveBlog: Trinidad and Tobago-Sweden

Trinidad and Tobago tied Sweden 0-0 in their first World Cup match ever. Playing a man down for most of the second half, the Soca Warriors hung on to get a point. Follow all the play-by-play below and leave your comments about the match.

Full time Final score is 0-0. Trinidad and Tobago gets a point in their World Cup debut. Sweden will be kicking itself for not getting three points against one of the tournament’s smallest teams and playing a man up for most of the second half. If ever a team can consider a tie a win it would be T&T. Man of the match is keeper Shaka Hislop who made countless great saves.

90:00 Larsson booked for a foul from behind. Trinidad player takes his dear time getting up. They are happy to let the clock tick. 3 minutes of official added time.

89:00 Sweden looks to mount one last attack. There should be a bit of added time. Nerves abound on both sides. Sancho will yet another clearance.

86:47 Lots of nervous faces in the Sweden sections of the crowd. They know their team should be winning but they very well could walk away with only a point. Ibrahimovic blasts one over the crossbar. Still 0-0 and the hopes of the Caribbean rest on the final 3 minutes.

85:02 Can the minnows do it? Playing a man down for almost the entire second half, Trinidad has somehow kept Sweden off the board. 0-0. Ljunberg limping a bit for Sweden.

84:02 Sweden holds an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks and probably a 12,000 - 2 advantage in shots but the most important stat is the 0-0 score.

83:02 Sweden corner kick. How the heck is Trinidad hanging on a man down? A lot of courage from the Soca Warriors. Cleared away momentarily and Sancho clears for another Sweden corner.

81:34 Sweden with an incredible opportunity in the box but yet again they can’t finish. How many times have I typed that today? Story of the game has been Hislop in goal and Sweden’s poor finishing. Wow.

80:22 The Soca Warriors get a corner kick. Can they see a miracle happen? No, cleared away by Sweden. Still 0-0. What a great ten minutes we have left.

79:27 Shaka Hislop with another brilliant save for Trinidad. This guy is keeping his country alive. He is the hero of the match no matter what happens.

78:11 The rat tail has finally left the pitch. Let’s hope Wilhemsson does something about that thing before the next game. Obviously it is a bad luck charm. In addition to just being ridiculous.

77:15 Having no rooting interest in this game at all I can honestly say the next 13 minutes are going to be a thriller. The beauty of the World Cup. Two subs coming on for a Sweden team desperate to get three points.

75:01 Hislop warned for delaying the game. He then makes his 1,000th save of the game. Still 0-0 in this one. Trinidad playing a man down but might have a higher power on their side today.

73:45 Yellow card shown to Dwight Yorke. Sweden gets another free kick but is useless once again. Must be a very frustrating time for Sweden fans.

72:31 Just a public service reminder that we’ll be liveblogging the next game as well. Argentina vs. Ivory Coast should be a great one. The good news is that Daryl will be manning the blog so you don’t have to deal with me much longer. Thanks again for tuning into our site.

71:17 All of the action is in the Trinidad end but Sweden just can’t figure out how to put one in the goal. If the Soca Warriors come away with a point from this one they should be arrested for stealing.

68:57 Hislop is going on the currency in Trinidad. He has been the hero of the match with another strong save on yet another good Sweden scoing chance.

67:57 Do you suppose there will be a clearance sale at Ikea if Sweden loses this one? I need a desk that I can’t figure out how to put together.

66:22 Whitley on for Theobald for Trinidad. Good substitution a man down and the score tied 0-0. Fresh legs needs for the Soca Warriors to hang on.

65:27 Roland gets the runner-up award for comments: “Holy crap! If Sweden loses to a diminished Trinidad I fear for their suicide rate.”

64:07 Sancho gets knocked down to the ground. Sancho is one of the nicest human beings you will ever meet. I recommend that all of you meet him soon.

63:12 For playing a man down Trinidad is not being completely dominated. Still, Sweden should be winning this one. One mistake either way could be the difference.

61:00 Still 0-0. Trinidad playing a man down. Allback on for Svensson for Sweden.

58:18 Dwight Yorke with a cracker of a shot that just goes over the ball. On the other end Ibrahimovic is stopped by a great save from Hislop. Wow, things are opening up.

57:37 Anyone know the Swedish word for “rat tail”? I believe it is “Wilhemsson”.

56:01 Why is the Sweden coach wearing a kit on the sideline? Is he going to come in the second half?

54:51 Yet another good direct chance from Sweden but all for naught. Trinidad still holds on to a 0-0 tie playing a man down. I wanted to type “Trinidad leads 0-0″ but that was the beer talking.

53:28 When I grow up I want to be Dwight Yorke. How can a guy that old party so much and still play well?

52:50 Larsson’s shot is blocked in the box. I should just copy that and paste it since it will happen a lot this game. Samuel out for T&T and Glen is in. MLS representin’

49:36 Does FIFA have an award for first red card of the tournament? Avery John needs something to make himself feel better.

48:35 So now we have close to 45 minutes of Sweden attacking and Trinidad trying to bunker in. This could turn out to be an interesting one if they can hold on for a fair amount of time.

47:15 Sweden a direct kick from just outside the box. A goal here would be devestating for Trinidad which must now play with 10 men. Ball hit into the wall and the Soca Warriors dodge a bullet for the time being.

45:24 Avery John takes out the rat tail Sweden and he is show a yellow card. His second of the match and he is sent off. WOW that chances the complexion of this game. Tough call but probably a fair one.

45:01 We’re underway again in Dortmund with Sweden and T&T squaring off after a scoreless first half. Man of the match so far has been the Trini keeper Hislop who has made a few good saves to keep his team alive.

End of Halftime They just showed a great Puma commercial with Pele. I hadn’t seen it before. Thanks to your feedback I did get another beer at half so be forewarned that if this LiveBlog dies out around the 60th minute it is because I am passed out in my chair.

Halftime Not a bad first half. Sweden had the better of the opportunities but were unable to convert. Trinidad and Tobago created some chances as well and began to gain confidence towards the end of the half. The score is 0-0. I’m going to go ice my hands and will be back right before the start of the second half. What are your thoughts on the game?

45:00 Great shot of the Trini fans in the stands. Two minutes of added time. This will be a victory for Trinidad if they go in tied.

43:45 Approaching halftime. The big question is should I have another beer and risk being incoherent the second half or should I stick to water? I’ll let you decide.

41:45 Zlatan with a shot on goal for Sweden but Hislop is up to the challenge. If you are in goal for T&T today you are going to be quite sore tomorrow. Sweden is peppering the goal with shots.

40:54 If Trinidad makes it to the half with the score o-o they will consider it a success. Sweden has to be a little frustrated that they haven’t been able to take advantage of their opportunities.

39:39 I happen to like Chris Birchall in the Soca Warriors midfield. He plays with a lot of heart. Another solid shot from Sweden and Hislop saves it. It might be only a matter of time for Sweden. Still 0-0

37:37 Sweden continues to look like they are going to nail one but don’t. Larssen with a diving header that goes over the crossbar. Will T&T be able to survive one close chance after another?

35:03 Avery John comes up lame after a hard Sweden tackle. Shots of the crowd show T&T supporters in the same section as Sweden. Hmmm, wonder if they’ll do the same thing when England play Sweden.

33:45 No, you haven’t taken bad acid. That is indeed cottonwood you see floating around the pitch. The stuff is all over the place here in Germany. Killing my sinuses. 0-0 is the score.

32:08 Looks like the T&T players prefer playing in the one strip of sun on the pitch. The ball is staying on one side of the field. Great shot from Edwards from far out but eaten up by the Sweden keeper.

30:18 I think T&T needs to consider getting new boots. Their players are having trouble staying on their feet.

28:35 Sweden has a 4-0 lead in shots. Trinidad just can’t string it together in the final third of the field. Sweden’s backline is more formidable than the Maginot Line.

27:38 Trinidad and Tobago continue to hang on. 0-0 is the score. Do you think anyone in the entire country of T&T is doing anything other than watching this game? I don’t think so.

25:06 A Larseen header for Sweden is way off the mark. They are showing Beckenbauer in the stands. How the hell did he get from Frankfurt to Dortmund in under an hour? Does he have his own helicopter?

23:43 Ljunberg is moving well for Sweden on the wing. He has had a lot of foot pain and has had to have his foot drained of blood after every match. I might have to do the same if I LiveBlog three games a day.

22:25 Every player on Sweden has a name that ends in “son”. Except for the ones that don’t. Like Ibrahimivic, who almost scores right as I type. The close chances aren’t going in for Sweden.

19:10 Birchall is playing a strong game for the Soca Warriors. Sweden earns the corner after Sancho clears it over the end line. Will the Swedes score one of their pattened set pieces? Not this time. Cleared away and we remain at 0-0.

17:20 Comment of the day from reader Ze: “Wilhemssen is like the bastard son of David Beckham and Roberto Baggio.”

15:45 I’m kind of used to these World Cup games having early goals. Sweden has had their chances but T&T has been able to hold on by a thread. For our US audience, that is clearly Hislop in goal. Please ignore your announcers. Actually through beer bottles at them if you can.

14:07 Sweden corner is cleared away. Still 0-0. Nasty tackle against the rat tailed Sweden player. Almost knocked the hair off of his head. He gets up and lives.

13:33 Sweden’s midfield is dancing around like they have no one bothering them. T&T looks like they will play behind the ball and try to spring Stern John if they can. Stern is kind of a cool name. Sure beats being called Bob.

10:30 Unlike Paraguay earlier today, the underdog Soca Warriors do not look intimidated. They are passing the ball with authority and looking for their chances. Their defense however looks like it could give up a few goals today.

9:23 Ladies and gentlemen we have our first rat tail in the tournament. Sweden’s Wilhemssen is sporting hair that should have been banned in 1986. His team looks good though.

7:37 They’re showing the other Trinidad keeper Jack on the sideline with ice on his leg. Maybe he was a late game scratch? Maybe he just likes the feel of cold ice against his skin? You decide.

6:01 Ibrahimovic called for a handball before he gets off a tough shot. Sweden looks like they want to follow England’s lead and get an early statement goal in this one.

5:09 Trinidad keeper’s name is Shaka, which for some reason makes me want to sing the song Rock the Kasbah.

4:20 Ljunberg goes down right at the edge of the box. Direct kick for the Swedes. Dangerous opportunity early on. Three men over the ball. Larssen smokes it wide of the goal. Exciting start to the game.

2:25 Dwight Yorke playing a withdrawn forward position with Stern John up top. T&T is going to try to counter attack in this one. If that isn’t the case I will pay you each a dollar.

1:08 Sweden earns a corner kick. The shot by Lucic is blocked off and we have another corner. It is misplayed by Hislop bit T&T comes away with it.

:034 Another field with shadows. Can’t FIFA do something to block out the sun for a month?

Kickoff We are underway in Dortmund with the red-clad Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago squaring off against the yellow-clad Swedes. For this game I will start with a light beer that has some kind of lemon flavor to it. Very refreshing after a couple of darker Hefeweizens.

Pregame:
3 minute countdown: Sweden gets its turn to sing with pride. The crowd is in full force. Can’t tell what the heck they are singing but undoubtedly it is bringing a tear to eyes all over Sweden. Great country with great people. I wish them well in this game. Would be happy with either side winning.

4 minute countdown: The T&T anthem is played. The players sing it with pride. What a great scene it is before each match. The World Cup is a marvel.

6 minute countdown: The players are led out onto the pitch. What a great moment it is for the small island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, making its first appearance in the World Cup. The Sweden fans are out in full force. Time to forget the first game and get pumped for this one.

8 minute countdown: The lineups are announced. Great news for my friends back home. Brent Sancho is starting in the World Cup for T&T. How far he has come! Marvin Andrews is out for the Soca Warriors with an injury.

1o minute countdown: If I see another commercial featuring either Oliver Kahn or Franz Beckenbauer I might pack my bags and leave Germany. Who am I kidding? I am in heaven here. Good beer, great football and another 90 minutes of liveblogging. A blessed man, I am. Thanks for sharing in the fun.

15 minute countdown: Now we are treated to a profile about Dwight Yorke and blessedly lots of pictures of Trini women dancing half clothed. Yorke is a funny guy. Has played forever. Has had his share of success. He even has a stadium named after him in T&T.

20 minute countdown: German television shows a feature about Henrik Larsson. For an older player he is incredibly fit. Sweden will not be playing with its normal number 1 keeper Andreas Isakkson who is out with a concusion. After liveblogging the England-Paraguay game I know how he feels.

30 minute countdown: The scene from Dortmund is one of Swedish yellow and blue with also a nice representation from those Soca Warriors fans from the Caribbean who are decked out in red and black. The Dortmund stadium is a classic facility that should be a wonderful backdrop for an interesting match between the representatives from Europe and CONCACAF.

After a dull England-Paraguay came, this one has to be more exciting. Care to share your predictions?