Source: Daily_Mail
WORLD CUP 2010: Roque Santa Cruz won't let injury ruin Paraguay dream
Roque Santa Cruz hopes to play a major role in Paraguay's World Cup campaign despite revealing a niggling injury kept him out of Monday's opening match.The Manchester City striker surprisingly started on the bench in the 1-1 draw with World Cup holders Italy in Cape Town, only coming on as a late substitute.The injury-plagued forward revealed a minor problem had convinced coach Gerardo Martino to leave him among the replacements but believes he is ready to hit the ground running now. Cameo: Santa Cruz chases Italy's Giorgio Chiellini (foreground) after coming on late in Paraguay's opening gameAsked about his absence from the starting line-up, Santa Cruz said: 'It's very hard to pick players from our team, we are players playing in hard leagues and anybody can play. '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 per cent. 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.Roque road to recovery: Santa Cruz trains with Paraguay'It's been the story with injuries through all my career, not just this season! It's disappointing but something I've lived with through my career.'Right now I think we have an advantage that we have such players in the team and there's no need to force people in. In the last World Cup I risked a lot to play and there's no point now.'I hope I'll be fully fit for the Slovakia match, I felt okay against Italy when I came on felt I could have played longer.'We've got six days between games and that should be enough to be ready.'Santa Cruz is justifiably upbeat about his side's Group F prospects in South Africa.'We obviously want to make it into the next phase from the first stage,' 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.' Sign up for our brilliant daily World Cup emailWatching Italy play Paraguay was like Bolton v Wigan in NovemberItaly 1 Paraguay 1: De Rossi rescues champions after Alcaraz head startIan Ladyman's World Cup diary: Rooney letting his feet do the talkingWORLD CUP BLOG: Follow our writers' rolling blog from South Africa