BERLIN -- Sweden was running out of modest World
Cup opponents.
The Swedes couldn't put the ball in the net against tiny Trinidad and Tobago.
And through 88 minutes on Thursday night, they couldn't do it against Paraguay,
either.
That changed in the 89th when Fredrik Ljungberg scored with a header for a
1-0 win that put the Swedes in position to move into the second round.
"Today we scored and have something to celebrate," Ljungberg said.
The Swedes can celebrate their first win of 2006 and their first goal of the
World Cup after a shocking 0-0 tie against Trinidad in their opener.
"We played pretty well tonight, much better than we did against Trinidad,"
Ljungberg said. "We made lots of chances but we just couldn't score, well, at
least until the end."
Sweden's scoring drought was becoming a habit. The team hadn't won since its
last World Cup qualifier against Iceland in October 2005, and managed just four
goals in seven games after that, including some against lesser sides like Saudi
Arabia, Jordan and Chile. Ljungberg's header ended both streaks.
Johan Elmander, who had come on as a substitute just three minutes earlier,
set up the goal when he swung a pass from 25 yards out on the right side toward
Marcus Allback on the left. Allback in turn headed a pass from the top-left
corner of the 6-yard box to a charging Ljungberg on the opposite side of the
goal. Ljungberg jumped and powerfully headed the ball down to the far side to
win it.
When the ball passed goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla's outstretched hand, the
players and coaches on the Swedish bench jumped to their feet. And the
overwhelmingly pro-Sweden crowd at Olympic Stadium -- yellow-clad fans accounted
for nearly two-thirds of the 72,000 in attendance -- roared its approval.
"It's unbelievable," Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said of the Sweden fans.
"The support they gave us was fantastic. Even during the game, when we didn't
score."
The Swedes are second to England, which has six points in Group B and already
has made the second round. Sweden has four points and can guarantee advancement
to the second round with a win or tie against England on Tuesday. If Sweden
loses, it needs Paraguay to beat or tie Trinidad to guarantee getting through.
