Yaisien proud to play part for France

France may be frustrated after being held 1-1 by Serbia on Friday, but the prolific Abdallah Yaisien was determined to keep his chin up when speaking to UEFA.com after the game.

France begun the UEFA European Under-17 Championship among the favourites to lift the title, but have thus far struggled to stamp their mark on Group A. Held 2-2 against England before adding another point to their tally against the hosts in Indjija, Les Mini-Bleus nevertheless know that victory against Denmark – already confirmed as section winners – in Novi Sad on Monday will be enough to earn a semi-final berth.

"It was a frustrating result for us, of course, given how the game went, and we wanted to win," Yaisien said following the Serbia draw. "But with this result, we still have our destiny in our own hands for the third game against Denmark.

"Our coach told us that we could have won but we should stay positive ahead of the final game of the group against Denmark. We will have to refocus on the third game and make the most of the two days of rest ahead of us. Denmark are qualified and are under no pressure to get a result in their next game, which may be an advantage for us. We will give all we have and hope for a victory against them."

The Paris Saint-Germain FC playmaker scored eight goals during France's qualification campaign, including four in the defining 9-0 triumph over Belarus. And for Yaisien, representing his country is the pinnacle for any player.

"Playing for France means a lot to me on an emotional level," he said. "My goal is to play well with this team and participation in this tournament is something I have been working towards and preparing for all season. It's one of my top goals of the season to play well during this competition."