World Cup Group B - England Makes it to the Second Round (England 2 - Trinidad & Tobago 0)

Well, for 83 minutes it looked like England was heading for a draw. In fact it was probably what they deserved for playing yet another game of dull, unimaginative soccer.

The English hardly troubled Hyslop's goal for most parts of the game. And when they did, their shots were tame and straight at Hyslop. Far cry from the way the Swedish had attacked the Trinidad & Tabago's goal.

The after a dismal first half, the English brought on Rooney and Lennon to shape things up in the 58th minute but nothing really changed. When they had the chances, it fell to Lampard who continued shooting it right at Hyslop. Rooney in truth looked tentative going into the game. He was shying away from contact, probably under the advise of the England physios.

The goal came from Crouch (funny name for a man so tall), a header from Beckham's cross. Minutes later in injury time, Gerrard rifled home a screamer from outside the box.

With this win, England has confirmed their place in the second round. Remember the winners of this Group face the runner-up in Group A. So England either faces Ecuador or Germany, and you can bet they would be doing everything in their power to avoid the hosts.

Something I can't understand about Eriksson is why he persists playing Gerrard in that defensive midfield role. He should let Gerrard play in a role that he's comfortable with at club level. Of course that would mean someone has to play the defensive midfield role. I suppose the only problem is that Lampard can't effectively play there. Maybe it's time to experiment with Carrick in that role, since England has already qualified.