Berlin: It has taken a long, long time and it felt as if it was never going to happen but Sweden finally scored in this World Cup and in doing so won their first match of 2006.

The goal came after 88 minutes from the head of Freddie Ljungberg and was deserved. It means that Sweden will take on England in Cologne on Tuesday, having not lost to them since 1968, fancying their chances of beating them and winning the group.

Just as against Trinidad & Tobago last Saturday in Dortmund, Sweden created the chances to win the game.

But despite having strikers of the quality of Barcelona's Henrik Larsson and Juventus's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as each opening came it was immediately closed.

At the beginning it appeared as though Sweden would pummel Paraguay with their sheer energy. But by the 89th minute the tens of thousands of Swedes here were silent. The noise finally returned when Ljungberg stopped to head in.

Group of Jest

After the near-comical events in Nuremburg earlier in the day there was an argument for renaming this the Group of Jest. England's two performances may have been distinctly unfunny but at least they had scored. That is more than the other three countries had managed.

Yet Sweden and Paraguay have pedigree — both reached the second phase at the last World Cup, where Paraguay lost to an 88th minute goal from Germany's Oliver Neuville and Sweden lost 2-1 to Senegal — and with the same stage on offer again this was a serious occasion.

Sweden's intent was obvious from the kick-off. Playing with the sort of zip that is expected of England, but rarely comes, the Swedes created three good chances in the first quarter of an hour.

Kim Kallstrom was central to their improved style and movement.

Besides the Olof Mellberg-Ljungberg argument, the debate in Sweden has been about whether Kallstrom or Anders Svensson should play in midfield and having sat out all but 13 minutes of the Trinidad 0-0, Kallstrom was preferred.

Not yet 24, Kallstrom has been around long enough to be familiar — and collect more than 30 caps — and is about to join Lyon from Rennes. When, in the ninth minute, he strode on to a chested lay-off from Ibrahimovic and struck a superb volley that Aldo Bobadilla did well to push around the post, you could see Gérard Houllier's reasoning.

Sweden were all-action: Christian Wilhelmsson went close with a shot and Ibrahimovic and Ljungberg combined beautifully but just failed at the end of a flowing move.

Paraguay, meanwhile, must have felt like a red and white striped sponge.

They had begun quite daringly by the standards of last Saturday in Frankfurt — there were even times when they got five men across the halfway line.

Once in the first half the South Americans even posed an attacking threat, the left-back Jorge Núñez firing a cross-shot diagonally and dangerously in front of Andreas Isaksson.

A good feeling

Paraguay must have felt good about the development of the game and Roberto Acuña's low drive spoke of a new ambition. Three points after all would leave them with Trinidad & Tobago to come. Swedish frustration suited them and when Allback was waved onside in the 59th minute and lifted the ball over Bobadilla, it seemed as if a breakthrough was certain; but his lob gave Denis Caniza time to rush back and as Allback readied to tap the ball into an empty net, Caniza poked it away. The reaction on the Swedish bench was one of total and utter disbelief.

That state of mind was exacerbated on 80 minutes when Larsson at last won a far post header and a beneficial ricochet took the ball to Allback. He had his back to goal but was three yards out and if Allback had produced any power the ball would have beaten Bobadilla. And then, at last, came Freddie. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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