An era of invincibility appears to be drawing to an ignominious end. France's hopes of retaining the World Cup, already gasping after last week's defeat to Senegal, were choked to the brink of extinction yesterday by blanket Uruguayan defence and a simmering sense of injustice.
Thierry Henry's dismissal midway through the first half for a careless challenge on Marcelo Romero, studs up and sinking deep into the Uruguayan's shin, earned the Arsenal striker a red card which will keep him out of the champions' decisive encounter against Denmark next Tuesday.
"I find it ridiculous that a Mexican was allowed to officiate a match involving Uruguay at all," moaned David Trezeguet of the card-happy display by Felipe Ramos Rizo. "I was worried even before the game, but what I saw just confirmed what I had feared. He was of extremely limited ability."
Watching the tackle in the cold light of day may temper such frustration - the lunge, clearly illegal, merited severe punishment - though the referee's inconsistency did grate. The Uruguay striker Dario Silva's challenge on Patrick Vieira on half-time - connecting higher up the shin than Henry's on Romero - went unpunished.
Henry, head down and shoulders hunched, cut a forlorn figure leaving the stadium. He will join Emmanuel Petit - booked for the second time in the tournament for handbags with Sebastian Abreu - on the sidelines in Incheon next week as France's destiny is decided. Surely Zinedine Zidane, considered insufficiently healed from his torn thigh muscle yesterday, will now be risked against the Danes. France's faint hopes appear to rest on him.
"We have adapted well to life without Zinedine," said the coach Roger Lemerre - cryptically, given his side have not won a match this year without their playmaker. "He's still recovering and he will decide if he is ready for the game against Denmark."
That a chance exists at all owes much to Fabien Barthez. Deep into injury-time at the end of the second half Abreu nodded down for the substitute Federico Magallanes to power a shot at goal. It cannoned off the exposed goalkeeper's leg and out of play.
The Manchester United goalkeeper enjoyed one of his more inspired displays, thwarting the magnificent Alvaro Recoba three times. The Internazionale forward, who had enough audacity to nutmeg Vieira, controlled the game's stop-start tempo even when France enjoyed a full complement.
The tone was set early when his skimmed attempt from just outside the area deflected off Lilian Thuram - switched to the centre to cover for the injured Frank Leboeuf - only for Barthez to turn the shot away with his outstretched right foot.
Recoba prompted an equally frenzied start to the second half, stinging Barthez's hands twice in quick succession at the near post, before pummelling an attempt just wide then rounding the goalkeeper and thrashing wastefully into the side netting when it seemed easier to score. Within seconds he crossed for the unconvincing Abreu to head wide from five yards out.
When Barthez subsequently blocked the Cruz Azul striker's close-range drive, set up by Recoba's backheel, even the deadpan Uruguayan coach Victor Pua conceded admiration. "We could find no way beyond Barthez," he sighed.
Fabian Carini matched Barthez stop for stop and was beaten only when Petit's free-kick zipped beyond the defensive wall and clipped the outside of his left-hand post, and when Trezeguet's weak, toe-poked attempt was cleared off the line by Paolo Montero after Vieira had beaten Carini in the air.
Even so, victory might have been gleaned near the end as Lizarazu burst from a midfield muddle to find Sylvain Wiltord in space on the edge of the area. In keeping with his general display, however, the Arsenal striker turned ponderously and saw his shot expertly suffocated by Gonzalo Sorondo.
Guardian Service
SUBSTITUTES: France - Candela for Leboeuf (16 mins), Cisse for Trezeguet (80 mins), Dugarry for Wiltord (90 mins). Uruguay - Magallanes for Silva (59 mins), de los Santos for Romero (71 mins), Guigou for Rodriguez (72 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: France - Petit. Uruguay - Garcia, Romero, Abreu, Silva.
RED CARD: France - Henry
