Live from Germany

Argentina given scare as England open with win

Tiny Trinidad and Tobago held Sweden to a 0-0 draw Saturday despite playing with ten men in the second half giving England a clear lead in Group B after they had earlier edged Paraguay 1-0.

But the partying was being done by the Trindad and Tobago fans whose hero tonight will be goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, only on the pitch after first-choice 'keeper Kelvin Jack was injured in the warm up.

In the final and most exciting encounter of a busy Saturday's football, South American giants Argentina were pushed all the way before escaping with a narrow 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast.

Hernan Crespo and Javier Saviola were on the mark for the two-time champions before Didier Drogba pulled a goal back with 8 minutes left to set up a dramatic finale.

Serbia and Montenegro make their World Cup debut on Sunday against Holland while Group D matches are also on the agenda with Mexico taking on Iran and Portgual facing Angola.

In Dortmund, Sweden will be wringing their hands in agony over some sloppy finishing in the opening 15 minutes when they laid siege to the Caribbean goal.

When Avery John was sent off in the 46th minute it seemed the Swedes would walk it, but with an eight man defence Trinidad held on for a historic point on their World Cup debut.

England off to a flyer

A 1-0 win over Paraguay launched England's bid to win the World Cup for the first time in 40 years on a scorching afternoon match in Frankfurt.

England now lead Group B with three points and are in pole position to win the group.

The English grabbed an early lead when under-pressure Paraguay defender Carlos Gamarra turned home an inswinging free-kick from David Beckham in the fourth minute with a header that would have done a striker proud.

Paraguay then suffered further pain when they lost their 'keeper Justo Villar to injury. He will now miss the rest of the World Cup

With teperatures rising England wilted somewhat and had to hold their nerve as Paraguay imposed their rhythm in the second half.

"In football you suffer sometimes, but the most important thing was the three points," said England manager Sven Goran Eriksson.

"I'm happy, we can play much beter than that but we started the tournament with a win," he added.

Germany erupted in celebrations on Friday after coach Jurgen Klinsmann's side defeated Costa Rica 4-2 in a pulsating opening match in Munich, but the country's top-selling Bild newspaper was not convinced.

"Dream goals, but our defence is a nightmare," said its front-page headline, referring to the leaky rearguard which allowed veteran Costa Rican striker Paulo Wanchope to break through and score twice.

Elsewhere Togo's German coach Otto Pfister was reported to have walked out on the team after wrangling over bonuses, although there was no official confirmation.

It was hardly the preparation the west Africans would have wanted ahead of their World Cup debut against 2002 semi-finalists South Korea on Tuesday.