© EuroFootball.com
Trinidad and Tobago footballers presented the first big surprise in the World Cup. On Saturday, Leo Beenhakker's players finished the match with a draw against Sweden, who was considered the favorite, with a score of 0-0.
Signal Iduna Park stadium, 65,000 spectators Referee - Shamsul Maidin (Singapore) Trinidad and Tobago 0 - 0 Sweden
46' Avery John (Trinidad and Tobago) sent off
Trinidad and Tobago: S.Hislop; A.John, B.Sancho, D.Lawrence, C.Gray; C.Birchall, C.Edwards, D.Theobald (66' A.Whitley), C.Samuel (53' C.Glen), D.Yorke; S.John.
Sweden: R.Shaaban; T.Linderoth (79' K.Kallstrom), O.Mellberg, T.Lucic, E.Edman; F.Ljumberg, N.Alexandersson, A.Svensson (62' M.Allback), C.Wilhelmsson (78' M Jonson); Z.Ibrahimovic, H.Larsson.
The match, as expected, was initiated more actively by the Swedes. Henrik Larsson missed a great opportunity to score within the first five minutes, as his shot flew just wide of the goal.
Although the Trinidad and Tobago footballers defended for the majority of the first half, the Scandinavians failed to successfully finish their attacks. In the 15th minute, Cristian Wilhelmsson broke through the opponent's defense, but this time Henrik Larsson was unable to redirect Zlatan Ibrahimovic's cross into the goal.
The Swedes continued to attack, but created a real opportunity only towards the end of the first half when H.Larsson headed the ball over the goal after beating his defender. Shortly after, Z.Ibrahimovic tested the goalkeeper's alertness, but his shot was saved by the calm and reliable goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
The teams went into halftime with a score of 0-0.
At the start of the second half, the Trinidad and Tobago team was reduced to ten men - defender A.John received a second yellow card after a rough tackle. Despite this, the Swedes initially failed to make use of their numerical advantage.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed the first chance to score in the second half, heading the ball over the goal like H.Larsson had done previously. Minutes later, possibly the best chance throughout the game was missed by Trinidad and Tobago striker Cornellis Glen - his shot from the right side of the penalty area hit the crossbar of Rami Shaaban's goal.
From that moment on, events shifted to the side of Beenhakker's players. In the 69th minute, Ibrahimovic showcased excellent ball control, but his shot was once again saved by the goalkeeper.
With ten minutes left to play, after a few great passes, striker Marcus Allback emerged as a substitute on the field - perhaps unsurprisingly, his shot was once again saved by the outstanding S.Hislop, who had one of the best performances of his career in that game.
Just moments before the end of the match, Ibrahimovic had the last chance to save the Swedish team, but his shot flew over the goal.
Whether they held onto their superstitions and buried a few beans in front of the goal, the Trinidad and Tobago players managed to secure a sensational draw and the first point in the history of the World Cup final tournaments.
Match statistics:
Trinidad and Tobago - Sweden
Possession: 42% - 58% Shots on goal: 6 - 26 Shots on target: 2 - 5 Corners: 1 - 8
