England edge past Paraguay 1-0 in Frankfurt heat

England got off to a sluggish start in the 2006 World Cup on Saturday with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Paraguay in the sweltering heat at Frankfurt's Waldstadion. <br/><br/>England, one of the tournament

Saturday, June 10th 2006, 12:31 pm

By: News On 6

England got off to a sluggish start in the 2006 World Cup on Saturday with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Paraguay in the sweltering heat at Frankfurt's Waldstadion.

England, one of the tournament favorites, struck early in the Group B opener when captain David Beckham curled a 30-metre free kick into the box in the third minute which his Paraguayan counterpart Carlos Gamarra obligingly headed past his own keeper.

But no goal rush followed, as the heat began to take its toll and the game settled into one of sudden slick moves and wayward passing, with neither side showing too much ambition.

Beckham and Joe Cole looked lively down the flanks for England, while up front Peter Crouch chased and harried, but strike partner Michael Owen had poor service and failed to control when put clean through by Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard showed few signs of the back strain that had earlier made him doubtful for the game as he and Frank Lampard gradually made their presence felt in midfield. But both England and Paraguay struggled to find fluency in a disjointed game, with some players seeming to wilt early on.

The Paraguayans, who have never progressed beyond the second round in any of their six previous World Cup appearances, nearly drew level on the stroke of halftime when Carlos Paredes drove a shot inches wide after sloppy England defending.

After the break, it was Paraguay who threatened most, with Paredes blasting over the top after England keeper Paul Robinson had failed to clear a cross and Nelson Valdez leaving Ashley Cole for dead but drilling his shot at the England keeper.

Two piledrivers from Lampard, both dealt with by Paraguay substitute keeper Aldo Bobadilla, who had replaced the injured Justo Villar in the first 10 minutes, were all that England could muster, as the clock wound down.

''In the first half, until 35 or 40 minutes, we did well, but for long times in the second we struggled to keep the ball,'' said England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. ''I think our defense was great, and I'm extremely pleased with these three points. We suffered, but in football you suffer.''

Paraguay coach Anibal Ruiz said it was difficult to establish a rhythm after conceding a goal so early on, but that he was happy with the way his team had worked.

''I think we assimilated the hot temperature better than our rivals and that was why we controlled them physically. We had sufficient ability to counter their attacks. England are a good side, but we were up at their level,'' he said.

Man of the Match Lampard said afterwards that the England players had not experienced such heat in training and that this had affected their performance.

''The heat was very difficult for the England team to deal with. It takes a lot of energy from your legs. But we defended very well and didn't concede a goal, so we're happy with that,'' he said.

''I know that to win the World Cup we have to play better football,'' Eriksson acknowledged.