Sweden hold England to 2-2 draw

Cologne:

Henrik Larsson scored the equalising goal in the 90th minute Tuesday, helping Sweden earn a 2-2 draw with England and a spot in the second round of the World Cup. Larsson scored off a throw-in, getting the slightest touch to deflect the ball into the net. The draw was enough to give the Swedish team second place in Group B and a second round match against Germany. England will face Ecuador, the Group A runner-up. Sweden has not lost to England since 1968 - a run of 12 matches. Marcus Allback also scored for Sweden, while Joe Cole scored one goal for England in the 34th and set up Steven Gerrard for the other in the 85th. Allback headed in a corner kick from Tobias Linderoth in the 51st minute to level the score after Cole had given the English the lead with a 30-meter shot. England dominated much of the first half, with Wayne Rooney starting his first World Cup match. He was taken off in the 70th minute and replaced by Gerrard. Michael Owen, who also started up front for the English team, was hurt in the second minute and taken off on a stretcher. He was replaced by Peter Crouch. Rooney had a great chance to score in the first half but after controlling the ball in the area his shot was blocked by Sweden defender Teddy Lucic. In the second half, Sweden looked strong, causing England problems with in-swinging corners. Henrik Larsson put another shot on net minutes after the Sweden goal but England goalkeeper Paul Robinson knocked the header onto the crossbar. Olof Mellberg then kicked another off the post in the 51st. Allback's goal was the 2,000th in World Cup history. (AP)