JEK
Senior Insider
Header in 89th Minute Gives Swedes Win
adequate passes.
Header in 89th Minute Gives Swedes Win
Sweden 1, Paraguay 0
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 15, 2006; E05
BERLIN, June 15 -- The goal came, finally, gloriously, in a minute from the end of regulation time, but for the Swedes it had been four years in the waiting. For the Swedish fans, sitting through an excruciating 0-0 tie with tiny Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday was hard enough, as their team dominated the match but could not score a goal. Then, for 89 minutes tonight, they did it all over again, peppering Paraguay, only to come tantalizingly close to scoring, without any glory.
The release when winger Freddie Ljungberg broke that agonizing deadlock could be felt throughout Berlin Thursday night, with a large portion of the 72,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium and countless more who have overtaken this city pulling for Sweden. They all came alive when striker Marcus Allback, a halftime sub, headed the ball across the goal mouth and Ljungberg met it with his head and sent it to the far side, past diving goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla. In that instant, Sweden's hopes of winning Group B were resuscitated, suddenly 1-0 victors and in five days will face England with first place in the group at stake.
On Saturday in Dortmund, Sweden outshot Trinidad and Tobago, the smallest and perhaps least favored team here, 18 to 6, but ended up sharing a 0-0 tie.
The first half Thursday was Sweden's alone, and it easily could have broken its drought in the opening minutes. Coach Lars Lagerback utilized just three defenders, knowing a draw would hand England the group and ensure Sweden's next game to be nerve-wracked. Again, they held 60 percent of possession, they held sway in Paraguay's 18-yard box and lined up free kicks from well within scoring range and more corners. The result of all was the same: more Swedish frustration.
It began in the third minute, when Ljungberg drew a free kick with a speedy jaunt down the left wing. Ljungberg's ensuing attempt, from just to the left of the box, was unsuccessful, but Paraguay fouled again almost immediately, and Kim Kallstrom handled that free kick from the right side. His delivery struck the wall, but yet again Paraguay fouled, as Kallstrom was hacked down as he raced for the rebound. The third free kick did nothing to change the scoreline, either.
The Swedes played balls high into the box, toward 6-foot-4 striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The service was on target, but Ibrahimovic, still in the funk that clouded the second half of his season with Juventus of Italy, was not. He had ample time to direct a corner kick, but flicked it wide, then cursed himself loudly and passionately, flung one hand towards his head. A few minutes later Ibrahimovic had a moment of clarity, with an inspired backheel to free winger Christian Wilhelmsson into the box, but he wasted the glorious pass.
In the 27th minute Wilhelmsson was gifted another chance to go one-on-one with Bobadilla, but this time overran the ball five yards from goal. A minute later Ibrahimovic re-directed a corner well high of the crossbar, and late in the half came his best opportunity of all. The ball took a tricky hop, skipping the Paraguay defense and settling in Ibrahimovic's path. He was alone with Bobadilla and mustered only a weak, weary shot that trickled directly to the goalkeeper.
There was little interplay between Ibrahimovic and his strike partner, Swedish legend Henrik Larsson, 34, and at halftime Lagerback made the bold but likely necessary move of sitting the 24-year-old down and bringing wily forward Marcus Allback, 31, into the game. Allback lacks Ibrahimovic's natural gifts, but has partnered Larsson for much of their long-tenured international careers.
Allback nearly won it for his country in the 59th minute. He timed a run expertly to beat the offside trap, and when he reached the ball he was six yards ahead of the Paraguay defense. Bobadilla charged from the net, but had no real angle to stop the shot, and Allback chipped it over him. The ball floated toward the vacant net, but defender Denis Caniza came out of nowhere and beat Allback to the ball at the end line. Caniza had leaped and contorted his frame to get his foot around the ball, and he cleared it to safety a millisecond before Allback would have sent it in.
Allback's momentum carried him through Caniza, and the defender went flying into the back of the net. When he got up, clutching his head, his team still had life.
Defensive fireworks aside, Paraguay had yet to exert itself in this World Cup. It was far too casual with the ball against England, conceding the first half, as they did again Thursday. Jorge Nunez's 43rd-minute shot across the goal mouth was the only to trouble Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson prior to the half. Things evened out in the second half, but Paraguay's pair of talented strikers, Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez, were still nursing injuries and unable to muster consistent threats, while the midfield struggled to feed them
adequate passes.
Header in 89th Minute Gives Swedes Win
Sweden 1, Paraguay 0
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 15, 2006; E05
BERLIN, June 15 -- The goal came, finally, gloriously, in a minute from the end of regulation time, but for the Swedes it had been four years in the waiting. For the Swedish fans, sitting through an excruciating 0-0 tie with tiny Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday was hard enough, as their team dominated the match but could not score a goal. Then, for 89 minutes tonight, they did it all over again, peppering Paraguay, only to come tantalizingly close to scoring, without any glory.
The release when winger Freddie Ljungberg broke that agonizing deadlock could be felt throughout Berlin Thursday night, with a large portion of the 72,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium and countless more who have overtaken this city pulling for Sweden. They all came alive when striker Marcus Allback, a halftime sub, headed the ball across the goal mouth and Ljungberg met it with his head and sent it to the far side, past diving goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla. In that instant, Sweden's hopes of winning Group B were resuscitated, suddenly 1-0 victors and in five days will face England with first place in the group at stake.
On Saturday in Dortmund, Sweden outshot Trinidad and Tobago, the smallest and perhaps least favored team here, 18 to 6, but ended up sharing a 0-0 tie.
The first half Thursday was Sweden's alone, and it easily could have broken its drought in the opening minutes. Coach Lars Lagerback utilized just three defenders, knowing a draw would hand England the group and ensure Sweden's next game to be nerve-wracked. Again, they held 60 percent of possession, they held sway in Paraguay's 18-yard box and lined up free kicks from well within scoring range and more corners. The result of all was the same: more Swedish frustration.
It began in the third minute, when Ljungberg drew a free kick with a speedy jaunt down the left wing. Ljungberg's ensuing attempt, from just to the left of the box, was unsuccessful, but Paraguay fouled again almost immediately, and Kim Kallstrom handled that free kick from the right side. His delivery struck the wall, but yet again Paraguay fouled, as Kallstrom was hacked down as he raced for the rebound. The third free kick did nothing to change the scoreline, either.
The Swedes played balls high into the box, toward 6-foot-4 striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The service was on target, but Ibrahimovic, still in the funk that clouded the second half of his season with Juventus of Italy, was not. He had ample time to direct a corner kick, but flicked it wide, then cursed himself loudly and passionately, flung one hand towards his head. A few minutes later Ibrahimovic had a moment of clarity, with an inspired backheel to free winger Christian Wilhelmsson into the box, but he wasted the glorious pass.
In the 27th minute Wilhelmsson was gifted another chance to go one-on-one with Bobadilla, but this time overran the ball five yards from goal. A minute later Ibrahimovic re-directed a corner well high of the crossbar, and late in the half came his best opportunity of all. The ball took a tricky hop, skipping the Paraguay defense and settling in Ibrahimovic's path. He was alone with Bobadilla and mustered only a weak, weary shot that trickled directly to the goalkeeper.
There was little interplay between Ibrahimovic and his strike partner, Swedish legend Henrik Larsson, 34, and at halftime Lagerback made the bold but likely necessary move of sitting the 24-year-old down and bringing wily forward Marcus Allback, 31, into the game. Allback lacks Ibrahimovic's natural gifts, but has partnered Larsson for much of their long-tenured international careers.
Allback nearly won it for his country in the 59th minute. He timed a run expertly to beat the offside trap, and when he reached the ball he was six yards ahead of the Paraguay defense. Bobadilla charged from the net, but had no real angle to stop the shot, and Allback chipped it over him. The ball floated toward the vacant net, but defender Denis Caniza came out of nowhere and beat Allback to the ball at the end line. Caniza had leaped and contorted his frame to get his foot around the ball, and he cleared it to safety a millisecond before Allback would have sent it in.
Allback's momentum carried him through Caniza, and the defender went flying into the back of the net. When he got up, clutching his head, his team still had life.
Defensive fireworks aside, Paraguay had yet to exert itself in this World Cup. It was far too casual with the ball against England, conceding the first half, as they did again Thursday. Jorge Nunez's 43rd-minute shot across the goal mouth was the only to trouble Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson prior to the half. Things evened out in the second half, but Paraguay's pair of talented strikers, Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez, were still nursing injuries and unable to muster consistent threats, while the midfield struggled to feed them
