Uwak's sees Nigeria draw with Sweden

Updated: September 11, 2007, 10:22 AM EST Comment

Again, the Swedish women have failed to win an opening game in a major tournament - World Cup or Olympics. Despite that record, they have often recovered. In the 2003 World Cup they lost the opener to the United States but still finished second to Germany.

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Victoria Svensson's goal in the 50th minute gave Sweden a 1-0 lead, which seemed it would be enough to break the jinx.

Taking a through-ball against a poorly-executed offside trap, Svensson broke in alone on keeper Precious Dede and lashed a shot home from 10 meters (yards).

The draw in Group B leaves all four teams with one point. The United States and North Korea drew 2-2 in the other Group B game on Tuesday.

Sweden dominated the first half and came close to scoring twice.

In the second minute, top striker Hanna Ljungberg hit the crossbar. In the 34th, Svensson also hit the bar. The rebound came down on the goal line, with TV replays showing it failed to cross the line.

The Nigerians posed little threat through for most of the game with the Swedes dominating possession and overall shots, but pressed forward more in the last ten minutes.

They got their reward when Uwak fired home.

Group B is regarded as the toughest in the 16-team World Cup, with the top two teams advancing to meet the survivors in Group A where Germany is the favorite.