All square at half-time

The first half has been a roller-coaster of emotions. At times I thought we were going to concede, and then, five mutes from time when Zlatan was one-on-one with the keeper I was convinced he was going to score.

The critics have been proved right thus far: it’s been a nervy contest with both sides wary of giving the ball away, pushing to get up front and then choking in front of goal.

Kim Källström has been much more effective in midfield than Anders Svensson was again Trinidad Tobago: he definitely merits being in the starting line-up for a superb shot from twenty-five meters out that forced the keeper into the save of the first-half.

Freddie Ljungberg has been a dynamo running up the flanks, cutting inside and causing probs in and around the box but he just hasn’t been able to find a way through to the keeper.

The biggest disappointment of the first half, apart from not scoring, has been Zlatan’s performance. He’s running and keeping his head up but he doesn’t look like a world class striker at present. Then again, look at Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard. Both played atrociously for England but scored vital goals when it mattered. I thought Svennis had lost the plot when he took Michael Owen off early in the second-half against Trinidad Tobago. Crouch was the one who was nonchalant, missing chance after chance but Svennis kept faith in him and 9 minutes from time he latched onto an inch perfect cross from David Beckham to send the English into the quarter-finals.

Let’s hope Zlatan or Henke manage to do the same for us. then again, I’d settle for Anders Svensson coming off the bench to score a blinder.