Semi-finals just first step for Sanogo

France may have fallen behind against Switzerland on Monday but they bounced back with a vengeance to win 3-1 and qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship as Group A runners-up.

Yaya Sanogo's two goals gave them the lead at Sportpark Eschen-Mauren and the AJ Auxerre striker told UEFA.com the atmosphere within the camp could scarcely be better. "We are very strong now because we have had a lot of experience together over the past two years," he said. "We live together at this tournament, we eat together and we laugh – we don't want this to stop because our group is very cool and we like it. We want to stay until the end."

Sanogo arrived in Liechtenstein as one of the players to watch having made his Ligue 1 debut for Auxerre earlier this month. His physical presence was impressive enough in France's opening two fixtures but it was his calmness of finish against Switzerland that caught the eye. Single-minded in front of goal he may be, but the 17-year-old thinks only of the collective off the field.

"As a striker of course I prefer to score, but the team is more important," he said. "Scoring in a game like this is great, but is better to go to the semi-finals and the final. I'm always disappointed if I don't score but I am a team player.

"Scoring gives me a lot more confidence but what is important to me is that thanks to the two goals, it is possible to go to the semi-finals. My goals give me more confidence for the rest of the tournament. We have to take on England but the most important thing is we are in the semi-finals."

Robust, athletic and physically imposing, it is little surprise to hear who Sanogo models himself on. "I very much like the style of [Emmanuel] Adebayor and [Didier] Drogba, they are strikers I would like to play like," he added.