England battle for win, Sweden kill off Paraguay

England have ensured entry into the Round of 16 overnight, with a less-than convincing 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago, while Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg headed home an 89th minute goal to set up a 1-0 win for Sweden, and to effectively end Paraguay’s hopes of making it beyond Group B.

A nervy English side controlled the tempo for the majority of the game, yet were unable to create any meaningful shots on goal until the 83rd minute, when Liverpool beanpole striker Peter Crouch fired a header into the back of the net following a curling cross from playmaker David Beckham to break the 0-0 deadlock and send the star-studded side up by a goal.

Liverpool star Steven Gerrard capped a lacklustre performance off for the English side, with a trademark strike from outside the perimeter finding the back of the net in injury time to leave the final score reading 2-0.

England will now play Sweden on Wednesday morning (AEST), before being pitted against either host nation Germany or Ecuador in the Round of 16.

The Swedes enjoyed a dominant possession game over Paraguay, and mounted on the pressure in the second-half before the in-form Ljungberg pounced in the final minute before injury time to hand the Swedes a 1-0 victory, and a very good chance of qualifying for the Round of 16.

Paraguay will now play their final match of the 2006 World Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday morning (AEST).

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