Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica striker Ricardo Fuller barely misses the ball as he jumps over Mexico goalie Oswaldo Sanchez, during the CONCACAF Group Two World Cup football qualifier at the National Stadium on Saturday night. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Reggae Boyz striker Ricardo Fuller, whose 16th minute goal guided Jamaica to a 1-0 win over Mexico in the CONCACAF semi-final Group Two World Cup qualifying match at the National Stadium last Saturday, said the effort laid out on the pitch by all members of the team was the decisive factor contributing to the crucial victory.

Fuller scored when his shot from just outside the penalty area ricocheted off the foot of Mexican sweeper and captain, Rafael Marquez, and lodged into the net, much to the joy of a near capacity stadium.

"It was not about one person. I just happened to score the goal. It was about team Jamaica. The team played together and everybody pulled their weight. We were all over the park and earned the victory," he said.

Playing like a professional

The 29-year-old striker, who plies his trade in England with Premiership club Stoke City, also said not thinking about the task at hand and playing like a professional went a long way in propelling the result.

He added that the large number of overseas-based players in the squad, the task of getting them to focus on playing football and not the magnitude of the occasion, was not as difficult as it used to be in the past and as a result, this allowed them to play to their potential.

"We tried not to think about the occasion. We tried to just focus on playing football because that is what we do as professionals. If we think about the occasion or the magnitude, the pressure may get to us," said Fuller.

"So, we tried to think about the game as another game and you saw it on the field ... we were running, we were tackling, we were giving everything, didn't back out of one 50-50 challenge today. There were crosses from all angles. All of these were lacking before and now we were doing it."

The Boyz have now shifted their focus to tomorrow's match at the National Stadium against Honduras, and Fuller pointed out that the task will not be any easier than Mexico, as only a win will be good enough to assist their chances of advancing to the next round.

"It is the same preparation that we put in for the Mexico game that we will be putting in for the Honduras match. We know exactly what we need to do to keep our chances alive ... we have to win."

Jamaica (four points) lie in third position in the group behind leaders Mexico (nine), and Honduras (seven). Canada (one) are at the bottom of the standings. All the teams have two matches remaining and only the top two from the group will advance to the next round.