Groups A & B Set

Now that the dust has settled in Groups A& B, we can look ahead to the second round matchups. Today, Germany beat Ecuador 3-0 to win Group A, while England drew with Sweden to win Group B.

Ecuador will therefore play England in Stuttgart on Sunday. England looked for all the world to have sewn up a win against Sweden until Henrik Larsson gutted the Three Lions with a late-match score. England only needed a draw to win the Group, so only their confidence could have been shaken with the equaliser.

England also got a scare today as striker Michael Owen went down with some mystery knee injury at the very beginning of the match. It’s likely that Rooney and Crouch will therefore start up front against La Tri.

Germany looked good today against a mixed Ecuador side. Sweden hasn’t looked as good as Germany, but with their goal-scoring potential, no small lead will be safe for the hosts. Germany and Sweden will tangle on Saturday in Munich.