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Gouffran comes of age

France's Yohan Gouffran said goodbye to his teenage years in style as he marked his 20th birthday with a goal in his side's 3-0 win against Germany.

France's Yohan Gouffran said goodbye to his teenage years in style last night as he marked his 20th birthday with a goal in his side's 3-0 UEFA European Under-21 Championship win against Germany.

Lively display
After getting a seven-minute taste of these finals in France's 1-0 victory against Portugal on the opening day, Gouffran was told he would be celebrating his birthday with a start against Germany at the impressive Estádio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes. The SM Caen forward was not overawed by the experience, and capped his first competitive start for his country with a superbly-taken goal in the 71st minute.

'Big party'
It was the decisive second strike in a comprehensive triumph that left France on the verge of the semi-finals before their final group fixture on Sunday. "It's true that there's no better way to celebrate my birthday, especially with the victory," Gouffran told uefa.com. "It's a great thing and we are going to have a big party tonight." Before blowing the candles out on his cake, though, Gouffran took time to explain just why his team-mates were in such great form.

'Excellent atmosphere'
"I'm not surprised by France's performance today. We have an excellent group. We can achieve great things and we are going to show it against Serbia and Montenegro. We are a group, we are all very close and we play well together. It's true there is an excellent atmosphere in the team and that's making the difference. Our aim is to win the tournament." With the experience of helping France do just that at the U19 finals last summer, and by playing his part here in Portugal, Gouffran may yet get his birthday wish.

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