It was as if Marcel Desailly could not quite come to terms with what had happened. France had meekly surrendered their title more than two hours earlier at Incheon's Munhak Stadium but the scale of the slump was still sinking into the captain's mind.

Sports bag slung over his shoulder, his expression was a mixture of disbelief and utter misery. "I feel terrible," he said. "It's really something terrible because it doesn't happen that the world champions go out in the first round. It's amazing to see France eliminated like this. Everybody was thinking we could go to the end with the quality of our players."

Instead they are free to leave South Korea before Slovenia and China, the first defending champions to have gone out at this stage of a World Cup since Brazil in 1966. Having arrived as favourites, Roger Lemerre's team depart without a win or even a goal. In the opening match against Senegal their aura of invincibility had been stripped away. Against Denmark yesterday the last vestiges of greatness were lost.

There was something sad about watching such a collection of players reduced to this sorry state. After four years of domination during which they became champions of the world and then of Europe, France's time was up.

In the space of 12 days and three matches, Lemerre's players have seen their planet turned upside down. Once they took the field confident they could beat anybody. Here they did not seem to believe they could rescue the situation after they fell 1-0 down.

A two-goal victory had been needed to reach the next round but they were tactically outwitted by Denmark, who stuffed their midfield - just as Senegal had done - and watched France's efforts break down before striking on the break. There were moments of ill-luck, such as a Zinedine Zidane shot that went narrowly wide and a Desailly header that smacked the bar. But, ultimately, France have not been good enough.

"I think we got what we deserved," said Patrick Vieira, among those whose displays have been a grave disappointment. He added a suggestion that should shame any team: "Maybe the commitment wasn't enough and that's why we didn't win games we should have done."

Certainly France have lacked the zip they were expected to show. Long, tiring seasons for many of their players may not have helped. Robert Pires was a significant loss and when Zidane finally returned here it was without the mobility of full fitness. He offered flashes of fine skill but largely worked from standing positions with a heavily strapped left thigh.

If it scarcely seems believable that France failed to beat Senegal, Uruguay or Denmark, it is even harder to grasp the fact they have not managed a goal. They arrived with Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Djibril Cisse - the leading scorers last season in England, Italy and France.

Everyone knew the defence might have weakened with age but strike power seemed guaranteed. When the game was as good as over Trezeguet hit the bar but his finishing has been below his usual standards.

"Maybe the luck wasn't there that we had at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000," Vieira said, but Desailly was more damning. "We didn't put on enough power for the luck to come on our side."

Who knows what might have happened had Trezeguet struck his shot more cleanly inside 10 minutes? Instead, midway through the first half, Stig Tofting's excellent cross enabled Dennis Rommedahl to put Denmark ahead at the far post.

There were further near misses for France before their fate was sealed by Jon Dahl Tomasson from Jesper Gronkjaer's cross as Desailly claimed he had been fouled.

Guardian Service

SUBSTITUTES

France: Cisse for Dugarry (54), Micoud for Vieira (71), Djorkaeff for Wiltord (83). Denmark: Bogelund for Poulsen (76), Nielsen for Tofting (80)

YELLOW CARDS: Denmark: Poulsen, Jensen