Slovakia must avoid another last minute lapse, insists Jendrisek

SLOVAKIA striker Erik Jendrisek hopes his side maintain their focus for the whole game tomorrow when they face Paraguay in Bloemfontein.

Jendrisek could not contain his frustration after they dropped two points against New Zealand, their opponents getting the equaliser in stoppage time.

He said: “We are really annoyed because we had the game in our grasp. They kept playing long balls over the top and it finally paid off.

“We have to take a close look at what went wrong but it’s going to be a complex exercise.”

Meanwhile Roque Santa Cruz admits he is still carrying a few niggles, but hopes to shine for Paraguay in South Africa. The Manchester City striker arrived at this summer’s World Cup with a minor problem, forcing him to drop to the bench against Italy.

He was able to enter the fray as a late substitute, but was unable to offer little to the contest. Santa Cruz is planning to make more of an impression against Slovakia tomorrow as he believes he is now back to full health.

He admits that injuries have plagued him throughout his career, presenting him with an unwelcome headache, but is confident he can prove his worth if given the opportunity to grace football’s biggest stage.

“It’s very hard to pick players from our team, we are players playing in hard leagues and anybody can play,” said Santa Cruz on his absence from the starting XI against Italy.

“After the last friendly I finished with some discomfort in my leg and then, of course, as we have such good players there is no need to risk anything. I was not really 100%. I had a muscle problem and didn’t know if I could play from the beginning, so I think the coach took the best solution and the right choice. It’s been the story with injuries through all my career, not just this season!”

Santa Cruz is also looking to make history with his sights set on a place in the last eight of the 2010 World Cup.

“We obviously want to make it into the next phase,” he said. “We want to go at least to the quarter-finals because in Paraguayan history it’s never been done. But you never know.”