Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros scored a goal each Sunday to give Paraguay a 2-0 win over Slovakia in Group F of the World Cup.
Paraguay took the lead in the 27th minute when forward Lucas Barrios slipped a pass into the box that Vera angled past Slovakia goalkeeper Jan Mucha with a first-time shot. Riveros doubled the lead in the 86th with a left-footed drive from 12 meters (yards).
``It was lucky that I could score,'' said Vera, who was named man of the match. ``The first goal came at the best moment in the first half and then we wanted to keep possession of the ball and the second goal made us calm.''
The win puts Paraguay at the top of the group with four points from two matches. Slovakia has one point.
``We played a good match and we are getting closer to the round of 16,'' Vera said. ``Our intention now is to be first in the group.''
Playing with a three-man front line spearheaded by recalled striker Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguay controlled possession and the flow of play from the start at Free State Stadium and created a handful of early chances.
``The first half was excellent. We were pushing forward and we had goalscoring opportunities,'' Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino said. ``We focused on the match and possibly in the first half we could have made a bigger difference. We are getting closer to our objective of making it to the final round.''
Slovakia, which is playing in its first major tournament since the former Czechoslovakia divided in 1993, looked outclassed and unsure of itself in the face of a physical Paraguayan side that beat both Argentina and Brazil in World Cup qualifying.
``We made two mistakes and conceded two goals. There was always a punishment for our mistakes,'' Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss said. ``Our opponent was a really high-quality opponent and their victory was deserved.''
After Paraguay drew 1-1 with defending champion Italy in their World Cup opener, Martino opted to switch from a 4-4-2 formation to an attacking 4-3-3 against Slovakia, with Santa Cruz, Nelson Valdez and Barrios up front.
The trio of big, strong strikers proved a handful for the Slovakia defense, outjumping, outmuscling and outrunning the Slovaks.
``It was very difficult because Santa Cruz and Barrios and Valdez are very strong players, good in the air and good with the ball,'' Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel said. ``They played better than us today and they won - they were the better team.''
Forced to focus on defending, Slovakia never mounted a serious challenge to Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar's goal. Defender Kornel Salata headed a corner over the bar in the 37th, but Slovakia's first and only shot on target came from Robert Vittek's drive in injury time.
``We failed upfield today,'' Weiss said. ``We lost the match because we were not bold up front.''
Santa Cruz was a welcome addition to Paraguay's starting lineup. The Manchester City striker has been hampered by a leg injury, and only came on as a second-half substitute against Italy.
But Santa Cruz made his presence felt almost immediately, collecting a ball at the top of the box in the third minute and hitting a right-footed shot that forced a diving save from Mucha. He also went close in the 39th, when he broke free for a low right-footed drive that Mucha kicked wide, and set up Vera with a cross in the 72nd that the midfielder headed just wide of the left post.
``If we keep performing as well as we expect, and keep working hard, anything is possible,'' Santa Cruz said. ``Paraguay's never been in the World Cup quarterfinals, so that's the goal we set for ourselves. And once we get there, of course we want to keep doing better.''
Paraguay, which took a step toward the knockout round with Sunday's win, plays its final group match against New Zealand on Thursday in Polokwane. Slovakia plays Italy the same day in Johannesburg.
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Lineups:
Slovakia: Jan Mucha, Peter Pekarik, Martin Skrtel, Zdeno Strba, Vladimir Weiss, Jan Kozak, Stanislav Sestak (Filip Holosko, 70), Robert Vittek, Jan Durica, Marek Hamsik, Kornel Salata (Miroslav Stoch, 83).
Paraguay: Justo Villar, Claudio Morel, Carlos Bonet, Roque Santa Cruz, Enrique Vera (Edgar Barreto, 88), Paulo Da Silva, Victor Caceres, Cristian Riveros, Nelson Valdez (Aureliano Torres, 68), Lucas Barrios (Oscar Cardozo, 82), Antolin Alcaraz.
