PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP):
SOME BURST into tears, others danced to the thump-thump of Muslim drummers and still others just got out of their car and hugged total strangers.
As Trinidad and Tobago tied with Sweden in their World Cup debut, the country stopped to celebrate a draw as a victory.
"We just won the World Cup," screamed a middle-aged Trinidadian man of East Indian descent as he spilled out of one of the many bars, known as rum shops, in Port-of-Spain.
All the bars in the heavily East Indian district of St. James were overflowing with Trinidadians decked out in the red and black T-shirts of the Soca Warriors. Bar owners set up massive plasma-screen televisions on the sidewalk for fans and traffic all but halted.
THEY CAN'T BEAT US
One middle-aged man, referring to the red card that sent Avery John off in the 46th minute said: "If they can't beat us with ten men, then they can't beat us at all!"
A few blocks away in Woodbrook, one of Port-of-Spain's oldest neighbourhoods famous for its tin-roofed Victorian homes, fans gathered at a local cafe to watch their homegrown boys face World Cup veterans Sweden.
Mariel Brown, a local TV producer said: "When they took the field we all just burst into tears, we couldn't believe that we were actually in the World Cup."
NO ROLL-OVER
The 300 fans crammed in the cafe screamed at the television every time the announcer said Sweden would roll over the Soca Warriors, Brown said.
"He was just expecting the Swedes to clean the floor with us. We showed him," she said.
T&T's next game comes on Thursday against England, the small country's former colonial ruler. Sweden will play Paraguay on Thursday in their second game in Group B.
One older man, buoyant from the draw, said England better watch out.
"England just scraped past with one goal and by now they are afraid of us," he said.
