Feb
18
Ecuador continued to surprise everyone with a comfortable win versus Costa Rica (3-0). Including their earlier triumph over Poland (2-0), Ecuador’s players have shown that they can play their football at any altitude. Costa Rica will join Poland as the two teams from Group A that do not qualify for the next round.
All that remains to be seen is whether Germany or Ecuador tops this group. The two will meet on June 20th in Berlin to decide the group’s final standings.
In Group B action, England required 83 minutes of play before opening the score in their second game of the tournament against newcomer Trinidad and Tobago. Peter Crouch scored a headed goal from a Beckham cross to give England the 3 points and ticket to the round of 16. Gerrard solidified the victory with an exceptional shot in added time. The Lions dominated the game from the beginning but mostly played in a disorganized fashion failing to crack a well tuned Trinidad and Tobago defense. Wayne Rooney made his first appearance for England as a second half substitute but it is obvious that he is still not
in top form. Trinidad and Tobago should be proud of their performance so far with a hard fought tie versus Sweden and a good, albeit defensive performance against England. Highlight of the game must be Peter Crouch trying to execute a bicycle kick.
The last game of the day between Sweden and Paraguay also ended with a late goal. Fredie Ljungberg scored with a header from a Marcus Allback pass just two minutes before the end of the game. The win does not guarantee the Swedes a spot in the next round but a single point from their game against England would suffice for second place. At the end of the day, Trinidad and Tobago still have a chance of moving on if they win their tilt versus Paraguay and England beats Sweden. Paraguay’s fate on the other hand is sealed and they will be heading home after their football match on June 20th.