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 Trinidad's 10 men defy the Swedes
 Referee Shamsun Maidil shows Avery John the red card in the 46th minute. SPECIAL REPORT
• Special: World Cup 2006
DORTMUND, Germany -- Trinidad and Tobago played nearly the whole of the second half with 10 men yet held Sweden 0-0 in their first World Group B match in Dortmund. Defender Avery John was shown the first red card of this year's finals for a second booking shortly after the restart but, with emergency goalkeeper Shaka Hislop in brilliant form, Trinidad held out defiantly. Hislop was called up when Kelvin Jack dropped out with an injury after the pre-match warm-up. The Swedes' failure to break down the gallant Soca Warriors' rearguard meant that England, despite a rather unconvincing 1-0 win over Paraguay, head Group B by two points. Hislop turned aside countless efforts from the Swedes who poured forward for much of the game. Former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke was also a great steadying influence as his side came under constant pressure. Trinidad and Tobago, with a population of 1.3 million, are the smallest country ever to reach the finals and had to win a playoff against Bahrain to book their place. Yet the side from the land better known for producing world class cricketers, fully justified their presence at the football showpiece with a well organized defensive display, masterminded by experienced coach Leo Beenhakker. West Ham goalkeeper Hislop rose to the occasion magnificently after his short-notice call-up, crowning his performance with a sliding stop from Marcus Allback and reflex save from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the closing stages.  Hislop constantly defied Sweden after his late call-up. Near the end the unthinkable almost happened when in a rare Trinidad raid Stern John released substitute Cornell Glenn, who rocketed a shot against the Sweden crossbar. Trinidad coach Leo Beenhakker said: "They (Sweden) have a little bit more talent than we have but we never stopped fighting and stayed alive till the end. "I recognise the better chances went to Sweden. If you see their front line they have guys who play for Juventus, Anderlecht and Arsenal. We have guys who play for the smaller clubs in England." With his side down to 10 men, Beenhakker caused a surprise by bringing on Glen for fellow striker Collin Samuel after 63 minutes. "When a defender is sent off everyone expects you to bring on another defender. It was amazing it worked," he said. Sweden coach Lars Lagerback heaped praise on 37-year-old Hislop. "It was a disappointment, of course, we couldn't score," said Lagerback. "Their goalkeeper made some great saves. "We were much better (than Trinidad) but they have some skill and defended very well. We played a very good game." 
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