Paraguay beats Greece 2-0 in last World Cup warmup

Paraguay beats Greece 2-0 in last World Cup warmup

Published Jun. 2, 2010 7:39 p.m. ET

Enrique Vera and Lucas Barrios scored first-half goals to help Paraguay beat Greece 2-0 Wednesday in the last World Cup warmup game for both teams.

Vera easily slotted home a rebound in the ninth minute after a shot from Roque Santa Cruz hit the bar.

Santa Cruz again threatened in the 25th and his shot was stopped by Greek goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas, but Barrios drove in the loose ball to make it 2-0.

The Greeks - joined by newly-fit defenders Giourkas Seitaridis and Vassilis Torossidis - nearly pulled one back shortly afterward, when 19-year-old playmaker Sotiris Ninis pushed forward.

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Ninis set up Dimitris Salpingidis to tap the ball past Paraguay keeper Justo Villar in the 32nd minute but the effort was ruled offside.

Greece posed little threat to Villar, while the South Americans slowed in the second half and pressed their opponents on the break.

Substitute Edgar Benitez placed a header just over the bar in the 68th, meeting a well taken cross from Aureliano Torres.

Greece faces South Korea in its opening match. Nigeria and Argentina are also in Group B.

Paraguay takes on Italy, New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F.

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Lineups:

Greece: Alexandros Tzorvas, Giourkas Seitaridis, Avraam Papadopoulos, Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Loukas Vyntra, 46), Alexandros Tziolis, Dimitris Salpingidis (Angelos Charisteas, 46), Vassilis Torossidis, Sotiris Ninis (Giorgos Karagounis, 46), Pantelis Kapetanos, Costas Katsouranis (Christos Patsatzoglou, 59), Georgios Samaras.

Paraguay: Justo Villar, Dario Veron (Jonathan Santana, 74), Claudio Morel (Denis Caniza, 66), Paulo Da Silva, Julio Cesar Caceres, Carlos Bonet (Edgar Barreto, 60), Enrique Vera, Aureliano Torres, Cristian Riveros, Roque Santa Cruz, Lucas Barrios (Edgar Benitez, 6).

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