No distractions for Sinama-Pongolle

Florent Sinama-Pongolle's club career might be in limbo but the France Under-21 forward's impressive record in junior competitions continued as he scored the opening goal in Thursday's 3-0 Group A victory against Germany in Guimaraes.

Crucial goal
The 21-year-old Liverpool FC striker spent the second half of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers FC but his form in final tournaments is unaffected by such uncertainty. He registered six goals in the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Championship and nine as France won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the same year, though he got off the mark in Portugal in unfamiliar style. He told uefa.com: "I don't normally take free-kicks at Liverpool because we have Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and I don't play that often. But the national team is different. I am the oldest in the team and the player with the most appearances so I have to take responsibility. And I was trying to get my confidence up so I took the kick and it was crucial for us."

Left flank
Sinama-Pongolle was deployed in an unfamiliar position on the left of France's attacking trio, but the former Le Havre AC youngster is happy to do what he can. "I prefer to play in a central role, like a centre-forward, but there is a lot of competition so everyone tries to enjoy their position and do their best for the team. I know the coach wants to look at me on the left and I try to do my best and today was great for us as we won 3-0."

Heat is on
However, he admitted the extreme heat had been a factor. "It was very difficult playing so soon after the first match [on Tuesday]. It was very, very hot - 32C at kick-off - and you see this on the scoreboard and you say: 'Oh my God, it is going to be even more difficult with the weather'. But it was positive for us. It was important to score just before half-time and when we came back into the dressing room everyone was on a high. We were very confident so it made it easier for the second half. We tried to play, we tried to keep the lead and after that we had good opportunities to score the second and the third."

Title ambition
Confidence is high but Sinama-Pongolle is not looking too far ahead. He said: "I hope we can continue this form for the rest of the competition. Our ambition is to win the title, but for now it is more important to have a good rest and look ahead to the next game. If we can finish first in the group, it would be great for us as we would play the second team in the other group. "

Future focus
His Liverpool career may be hanging in the balance, but for now, all Sinama-Pongolle is interested is U21 success. He said: "My future at the moment is on standby. I don't really care to be honest as I am trying to keep my focus and concentrate on this championship and I will have a lot of time to think about it after this."