Nasri: My most important goal

Samir Nasri believes his penalty for France last night ranks as the most important goal of his career as Les Bleus qualified for UEFA EURO 2012 with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nasri scored from the spot in the 78th minute to earn France a vital point, cancelling out a first-half goal from his Manchester City team-mate Edin Dzeko. The goal made Nasri the hero of the hour only a month after his international role was being questioned as he was left on the bench by coach Laurent Blanc. "I have come back from afar," Nasri told L'Equipe. "I came back to the team with a new state of mind. I am at one with the coach and it shows on the pitch." The penalty was only Nasri's third goal for his country, one of the reasons he found himself on the receiving end of criticism in recent weeks. "This was the most important of my career," he said. "I would prefer to score less often if I can score goals like this one." Nasri had earlier hit the crossbar in the match, and admitted the pressure was on by the time the spot-kick came with 12 minutes to go. "We had to keep persevering, to keep fighting and not give up," he said. "That is what I did to get the penalty. There was big pressure, but I took the ball and I did not ask. I had to take my responsibilities."