Sports

Oscar Cardozo scored twice as Paraguay beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in San Mames stadium on Wednesday.

The Benfica striker followed up on a rebound to put Paraguay ahead in the 12th minute. Cardozo scored again when he rose to head in a Rodolfo Gamarra cross in the 40th after Roque Santa Cruz had beaten goalkeeper Armando Ribeiro from a tight angle.

Iñigo Diaz de Cerio pulled one back for Bilbao 10 minutes from the end.

After scoring the three first-half goals, in a game played to raise funds for local Basque teams, Paraguay rarely looked troubled at Bilbao''s San Mames Stadium.

The South Americans are in the same group as Italy, New Zealand and Slovakia at the 2010 World Cup.