Enrique Vera scored in the eighth minute and Cristian Riveros added another in the 73rd as Paraguay beat Costa Rica 2-0 Wednesday in an international friendly played in tribute to Salvador Cabanas.
It was Paraguay's first match since reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup, where it lost 1-0 to eventual champion Spain last month.
The game was played to honor Paraguay forward Cabanas, who survived a gunshot wound to the head on Jan. 25 in a Mexico City bar. He was contracted to Mexican club America and, before the shooting, had been expected to star for Paraguay in the World Cup in South Africa. Cabanas has been undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation clinic in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
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Lineups:
Paraguay: Justo Villar, Carlos Bonet (Cristian Riveros, 59), Paulo Da Silva (Julio Cesar Caceres, 49), Antolin Alcaraz (Dario Veron, 49), Denis Caniza, Enrique Vera, Nestor Ortigoza, Aureliano Torres, Roque Santa Cruz (Edgar Benitez, 49), Oscar Cardozo (Lucas Barrios, 49), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Osvaldo Martinez, 49).
Costa Rica: Esteban Alvarado, Crisian Gamboa, Douglas Sequeira, Michael Umana, Roy Hiller (Christopher Meneses, 87), Jose Juvero (Esteban Granados, 79), Juan Guzman (Manfred Russel, 55), Celso Borges, Juan Monge (Jose Martinez, 61), Bryan Ruiz, Alvaro Saborio (Alvaro Sanchez, 82).
