England 1-0 Paraguay

2006 World Cup Finals, Group B
2pm (BST), Saturday 10 June 2006
Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt
Live on BBC

England have taken their first steps towards achieving their World Cup dream after beating Paraguay 1-0 in Frankfurt.

An own goal from Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra after only three minutes sealed victory for the Three Lions as they begun their campaign with three points.

In scorching conditions it wasn’t always the flowing and exciting performance the nation had been hoping for. But it was, all the same, an excellent start to what we hope will be a month-long campaign in Germany.

Sven-Goran Eriksson had urged his team to play their opening game of Group B the English way, with passion and pace.

And the team certainly took his words to heart in the opening half hour as they quickly established a lead despite the scorching heat.

The hard-working Joe Cole won a free-kick wide on the left and David Beckham curled in a trademark effort towards John Terry after only three minutes.

The ball spun so much that it left Paraguay’s Carlos Gamarra in a whirl, and his attempt to clear with his head beat embarrassed keeper Justo Villar.

Paraguay’s nightmare continued soon after when Villar raced out of goal to clear a through-ball - and injured himself in the process.

He was replaced by Aldo Bobadilla after only eight minutes, and the new boy’s first action was to concede a corner as England dominated.

Michael Owen had a fine chance to make it 2-0 thanks to a stunning through-ball from Gerrard, but he couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch after 11 minutes.

England remained in charge for long spells but Paraguay, whose strikers Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez work neatly together, did pose a threat on the break and Gerrard was booked, unfortunately perhaps, for flinging himself into a tackle on Cristian Riveros.

But, with Gerrard rampant in midfield, Crouch linking up play well and Cole lively, England looked on top.

Lampard played a neat one-two with Crouch before firing in a 25-yard effort that was well saved and Sven’s men were good value for their lead at half-time - although Valdez came mighty close to equalising with a shot on the turn in injury time.

The second half had a sleepy start, with both teams giving the ball away too much and both lacking impetus.

But Sven took off Michael Owen after 55 minutes and replaced him with Stewart Downing, moving Joe Cole further forward in the process, and that quickly upped the tempo.

Cole was unlucky with a smart shot that was well saved and Paredes wasted a rare chance at the other end, hooking his effort over the bar.

With Rio Ferdinand outstanding at the back, the South Americans found it tough to break through. And when they did Robinson did well to keep out a fizzing effort from Valdez after 63 minutes.

It was almost 2-0 when Beckham thumped a wonderful cross-field ball out to Downing after 72 minutes, and he fed Lampard. The Chelsea man hit one of his trademark 20-yarders, which was spectacularly tipped over the bar by keeper Bobadila.

Owen Hargreaves replaced Joe Cole late on after the Chelsea man picked up a slight knock, while Crouch collected a booking, adding to Gerrard's in the first half.

Lampard almost rounded off the afternoon with a goal, yet another long-distance effort being turned around the post.

But in the end 1-0 was sufficient in a performance that provides encouragement and leaves room for improvement in equal amounts.

One down, let’s hope there are six more to go.

England: Paul Robinson, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, David Beckham (c), Frank Lampard, Peter Crouch, Michael Owen (Stewart Downing, 56), Joe Cole (Owen Hargreaves, 83)
Subs not used: David James, Scott Carson, Sol Campbell, Wayne Bridge, Jamie Carragher, Jermaine Jenas, Michael Carrick, Aaron Lennon, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott

Goals: Gamarra (og) 3

Paraguay: Villar (Bobadilla, 6), Caniza, Gamarra (c), Caceres, Toledo (Nunez, 82), Bonet (Cuevas, 68), Acuna, Paredes, Riveros, Valdez, Santa Cruz
Subs not used: Barreto, Bobadilla, Cabanas, Da Silva, Dos Santos, Gavilan, Gomez, Lopez, Manzur, Montiel, Nunez.

Kit Colours:
England: White shirts, Blue shorts, White socks
Paraguay: Blue shirts, Blues shorts, Blue socks

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico)
Assistants: Jose Luis Camargo (Mexico) and Leonal Leal (Costa Rica)
Fourth Official: Coffi Codjia (Benin)

Attendance: 48,000