England win 1-0 against Paraguay

England struggled to a 1-0 win over Paraguay in their opening World Cup Group B match on Saturday after leading with an early own goal.

Paraguayan skipper Carlos Gamarra deflected a David Beckham free-kick past his own goalkeeper Justo Villar after only three minutes, but there was hardly any goal-mouth actions after that goal. If there was anybody who hoped that the second half would be an improvement, then it was a big disappointment.

The second half started off exactly like the first half for England (unable to find their rhythm) and Paraguay took the game to England but failed to seriously test England goalkeeper Paul Robinson. England were largely content to soak up Paraguay's pressure for long periods, and their only real goal attempts in the second half came from two Frank Lampard shots.

This is really a pathetic match by England. I mean, this is supposed to be the DREAM TEAM, the strongest lineup in 40 years but look at how they played their first match. Unable to string more than three passes together without losing possession and making back passes most of the time, there was hardly any penetration or through balls from the midfielders, and the strikers have to drop down too far to help out in midfield which really blunted the attacks. Michael Owen especially seems to be taking a stroll in the park. Despite the array of stars, nobody seems to be able to turn up the magic, save for Lampard who make several good attempts.

The question for Soccer Pundit is if they struggle to break the defence of Paraguay, then how are they going to prise open the defence of other top contenders? If this is the style England is going to play with, then Sweden should have a good chance of making an upset and England can pack up and take an early flight home.

Poland Defeated by Ecuador

The scoreline 2-0 against Poland. A minor upset as Poland should be stronger on paper.

Tenorio and Delgado scored for Ecuador (ranked fourth among the South American qualifiers and competing in the finals for the second time), but they had to defend well against the Poles in in the second half.

Ecuador now sits alongside Germany at the top of the group on three points.

For Poland it was a painful repeat of four years ago when they opened with a 2-0 defeat by hosts South Korea and failed to progress to the last 16.

Germany wins 4-2 against Costa Rica

Highlights of the match:
In the 6th min, left back Philipp Lahm curls a right foot shot into the top corner that goes in off the far post after cutting in from the left and shooting from just outside the area.

In the 12th min, Paulo Wanchope equalises after breaking the offside trap and calmly slotting the ball past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann from the edge of the area having been fed by Ronald Gomez.

In the 17th min, Miroslav Klose puts Germany back in front from four metres with a tap in at the far post after being set up by Bastian Schweinsteiger. Klose celebrated the goal on his 28th birthday.

In the 61st min, Klose gets his second goal and Germany's third when he follows up to score from close range after his header is saved by Jose Francisco Porras following Lahm's cross from the left.

In the 73th min, Wanchope grabs his second goal to give Costa Rica hope as he flicks the ball past Lehmann from what looks an offside position after latching onto a through ball.

In the 87th min, Frings fires a powerful curling right foot shot into the top corner from about 30 metres giving Porras no chance.

Final score 4-2 and Germany clinch the first victory on home ground. A pulsating match with 6 goals. For the old Germany, they will be happy to sit back and defend a 1 or 2 goal lead but under coach Jeurgen Klinnsman, they have demonstrated an attacking streak and it was action end to end. They have also uncovered a bright young talent in Phillip Lahm. Overall, Soccer Pundit thinks it is a good result for the Germans and they should be there for the Finals...

Injuries and Scares

The stars of these World Cup seem to be leaving the scene before the fun has even started. First Rooney, then injury scares with John Terry and Steven Gerrad (hip problem in training). It would be a disaster for England if all 3 are out.

Cisse of France was ruled out of the World Cup after breaking his right leg in a 3-1 win over China and Michael Ballack (Germany) will miss the opener against Costa Rica after suffering a strain to his right calf in a 3-0 warm-up win over Colombia.

The latest news now is that Ronaldo is down with fever (Déjà vu to 1998 Finals with France). Ronaldo may not have performed well at club level but whenever he is with Brazil, he is still a potent force to reckon with and his absence may be crucial to Brazil's chances.

In the Dutch camp, coach Marco van Basten has to contend with an injured trio of Phillip Cocu, Wesley Sneijder and playmaker Rafael van der Vaart who hopefully can be available to face Serbia and Montenegro in Leipzig on Sunday.

Despite all the gloom, the good thing for Soccer Pundit is that Wayne Rooney's injury seems to be healing fast and he may even feature in the opening match against Paraguay on Saturday.

World Cup Briefs

For 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, a total of 32 teams from across the globe will make up the field. Six continents are represented and six past winners will take part, including hosts Germany, who head the 14-strong European contingent, and holders Brazil who lead the South American challenge....

Below are the teams that are involved, England is in Group B, :-)

Group A
Poland
Germany
Ecuador
Costa Rica

Group B
England
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Sweden

Group C
Argentina
Cote Ivory
Serbia and Montenegro
Netherlands

Group D
Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal

Group E
Italy
Ghana
USA
Czech Republic

Group F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

Group G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo

Group H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia

Soceer Pundit will provide more reports on individual teams later..