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 An own goal from defender Carlos Gamarra proved enough for England to sneak past Group B opponent Paraguay, 1-0, Saturday at Frankfurt.

England secured the 1-0 lead four minutes into the match as Gamarra flicked in David Beckham’s curling free-kick. It was the first time in World Cup history that an own goal decided the outcome of a group match.

Paraguay then suffered its second blow of the game as starting goalkeeper Justo Villar injured his right leg in the 8th minute while attempting to clear a through ball. He was replaced by Libertad keeper Aldo Bobadilla.

Despite Paraguay’s efforts on goal in the second half, the South American team could not find the back of the net to tie the game.

Paraguay’s best opportunity came midway through the second half as England goalkeeper Paul Robinson parried Carlos Bonet’s cross into the path of Paraguay midfielder Carlos Paredes, who volleyed the ball over the net.

England head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad played a sluggish second half, but still had opportunities to double its lead.

In the 72nd minute, Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard fired at the Paraguay net, testing Bobadilla, who tipped the ball over the bar. Lampard threatened Bobadilla again in the 88th minute, but the 30-year-old denied him as he tipped the ball around the post for a corner.

With three points, England takes the field against Group B contender Trinidad and Tobago June 15 at Nuremberg. Later that day, Paraguay will look to bounce back from its loss when it meets Sweden in Berlin.

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HBO’s Deadwood Enters 3rd Season

David Milch overturned the first season of HBO’s “Deadwood” by killing its lead character, Wild Bill Hickok, after five episodes.

At the time, it seemed like the whole series was cast adrift, with no clear focus or central protagonist - but, in retrospect, that was the moment when Milch’s intricate web of a Western began to reveal its delicate, captivating pattern.

The show’s third season begins Sunday night at 9, and the first few episodes are testament to Milch’s vision and generous payoff for all the groundwork and character development of the first two years. Just as the frontier town of Deadwood continues to develop and expand, so does “Deadwood” the TV series. It has become an amazingly rich and rewarding drama.

It’s no exaggeration at all - in fact, it’s an understatement - to say there are a dozen characters in “Deadwood” so fully fleshed, so endlessly intriguing, you could follow their stories exclusively and not feel at all cheated or bored. And this year, “Deadwood” wastes no time in bringing to the forefront two more actors and characters with personalities forceful enough to dominate the screen: Gerald McRaney as ruthless mining tycoon George Hearst, and Brian Cox as flamboyant actor Jack Langrishe.

This is on top of the established power centers of Deadwood the town and “Deadwood” the series: Ian McShane as the rugged town’s alpha dog, Al Swearengen; Timothy Olyphant as the temperamental sheriff, Seth Bullock; Molly Parker as the wealthy, mood-swinging Alma Ellsworth, and Powers Boothe as Swearengen’s whorehouse-owning rival, Cy Tolliver.

This year, when any two of these characters step into the same room, tensions are at a fever pitch. Put three in the same scene, and you begin to wonder which ones are likely to come out alive. If you watched the latest season of “The Sopranos” hungry for more scenes of conflict, your appetites will be sated here.

Other appetites are fed as well, though, by all the master chefs collaborating with Milch onscreen and off. Even without much screen time, Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran, Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane and William Sanderson as E.B. Farnum are fabulous, and have something in common: They never fail to score a laugh, but always maintain the tragic edges of their characters. And while mentioning them, I’m leaving out far too many others.

“Deadwood” is as rare as the gold in the mines and streams that brought the town into being. It’s a shame that HBO has opted to end the series after this season, and a pair of telemovie finales, because a show so rich in story and character could have been mined for years.

Enjoy it while it’s here. The language, the acting, the themes - everything in “Deadwood” is good as gold. In TV entertainment terms, maybe even better.

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