You'd have to check the record books on this one, but ever since Tunisia tied it up against Saudi Arabia in stoppage time on Wednesday, there was a goal scored in the last two minutes or later in each
of the next five games. We can't imagine that's not some kind of record. And arguably, no one needed that last-minute goal more than Sweden last night against Paraguay, especially after the thrusting
way they played against the South Americans. Sure, Germany needed its last-second goal against Poland to ensure safe passage to the second round, but Sweden, the second-favorite from Group B, was
going on 180 minutes of scoreless play, a fact that belies the Scandinavians' considerable firepower up front. Pictures of last-minute hero Freddie Ljungberg dominated Swedish papers on Thursday,
sporting headlines like "Thanks Freddie" and "Frederick the Great" after his last-gasp header following a brilliant move ended Paraguay's World Cup and took Sweden one step closer to the second phase.
Reporters and columnists poured their relief into their writing: "I want to kiss his (Ljungberg's) feet which never stop and his forehead which was there as the angst was bringing down the entire
nation in cramps of anguish," wrote columnist Johan Esk.
Read the whole story at Reuters.com »
