World Cup: Despite Tie, England Wins World Cup Group

Joel Cole tvnz.co.nz

COLOGNE, Germany - Joe Cole was shredding Sweden's defense so effortlessly he had confident England fans singing "God Save the Queen" before halftime. Not so fast. The Swedes have been flustering England for nearly 40 years now, and this game would be no different.

Henrik Larsson scored off a throw-in, getting the slightest touch to deflect the ball into the net in the 90th minute and salvage a 2-2 tie for the Swedes on Tuesday night. England hasn't beaten Sweden since way back in 1968, a streak that is now at 12 games.

"We scored two fantastic goals and it's a little bit annoying that we concede two goals, one from a corner, one from a long throw-in," England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. "Even though the Swedes are very strong, we are also a tall, strong team and we should defend better."

There is one big bright spot for England, though. It still won Group B, which means it gets Ecuador and an extra day of rest for the second round, playing Sunday in Stuttgart.

And Sweden, as the runner-up, will have to play three-time champion and World Cup host Germany in Munich in the second round Saturday.

"The most important thing is that we won the group," Eriksson said. "We have been talking about that since we came to Germany. That was the big target."

Cole scored on a brilliant 30-yard shot in the 34th minute, and then set up Steven Gerrard's go-ahead goal in the 85th for England. But the English couldn't put away the Swedes, a problem that has lasted nearly four decades.

Marcus Allback had tied it 1-1 for the Swedes on a header in the 51st minute.

"We were the better team in the second half and created some really good scoring chances," Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said.

Sweden is 4-0-8 in the streak against England, with four of the matches coming while Eriksson — a Swede — has coached England.

Though England arrived in Cologne with an eight-game winning streak, it hadn't played anywhere close to its best in Germany. But it seemed to get a spark from Wayne Rooney's return to the starting lineup and Cole's dazzling play, showing a confidence and authority it's lacked so far.

Even losing Michael Owen in the fourth minute to a nasty-looking right knee injury didn't seem to throw them. Owen, who only recently recovered from a broken foot, was carried off the field on a stretcher and will be examined Wednesday.

"We're all feeling for Michael at the moment," captain David Beckham said. "As a team we've done what we wanted but to lose Michael, I think is devastating for every one of us and the team."

Asked if Owen might miss the rest of the tournament, Eriksson said, "Maybe, we don't know yet."

Cole, Rooney and birthday boy Frank Lampard all came close to scoring in the first half before Cole finally broke through in the 34th. Niclas Alexandersson cleared the ball with a header, and it dropped a few feet in front of Cole. It bounced, Cole blocked it with his chest, then took a powerful swing with his right foot.

The ball sailed straight for the goal and Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson leaped desperately to deflect it. But he could only brush the ball with his fingertips, and it caromed off the post into the back of the net.

Cole ran to the corner of the field, tapping his chest in salute to the roaring England fans.

While England was giving Isaksson a workout, Sweden's best chance of the first half was off Tobias Linderoth's corner kick in the 19th. The ball went straight to Teddy Lucic, but it banged off of Lampard. Lucic held up his hands as if to say, "Just inches," then shook his head in frustration.

But two very different teams came out after halftime — a good thing for Sweden, not so good for England.

Six minutes into the half, Allback outleaped Beckham for Linderoth's corner, knocking the ball back toward the goal and over England goalie Paul Robinson to tie it. It was the 2,000th goal of the World Cup, which began in 1930.

Four minutes later, Larsson's header deflected off an England defender, and it looked as if it would go into the net. But Robinson got a shoulder on it, and it bounced off the crossbar.

It looked as if England's misery against Sweden was finally over in the 85th, when Cole sent a beautiful cross from the edge of the box to Gerrard, who'd come on for Rooney in the 69th minute. Gerrard leaped and knocked the ball into the goal, just past Isaksson.

But Sweden continued its relentless pressure, and it finally paid off in the dying moments.

Larsson barely brushed the throw-in from Linderoth, but it was enough to get by Sol Campbell and Robinson. It set off a raucous celebration by the Sweden fans, who left the stands littered with blue and yellow streamers.

"I knew my chances would come," said Larsson, who got his first goal in Germany. "If you're lucky you will score. I was tonight."

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