Not at all convincing but England made a winning start to the 2006 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the baking heat in Frankfurt. England dominated the first 20 minutes and had the Paraguay defence buckling under the pressure in the early stages. A great start saw the games only goal with Paraguay defender Gamarra heading into his own net from a David Beckham free-kick after 3 minutes.

With Paraguay there for the taking England failed to score a second their first half performance deserved. The second half was a shocker as England wilted in the heat and allowed Paraguay into the game and had to soak up some late pressure to hold on for the three points. Winning start is all that matters at this stage.

Sven-Goran Eriksson expressed satisfaction at his team's opening World Cup victory but admitted the performance left room for improvement.

"You always try to do better but I'm happy today. We can play much better but I'm happy. We started the tournament with three points and it's very important."

The sizzling heat in Frankfurt appeared to take a heavy toll on England's players, and the South Americans coped better and looked fitter than Eriksson's men in the latter stages.

"Maybe we suffered a lot. I think this was a real hot, hot day and I think that knocked us in the second half," Eriksson added.

"But most important was the result today, we were suffering but it's a very good start."