Stig Tofting under pressure from Desailly (Allsport).

By Martyn Ziegler, PA Chief Sports Reporter, Incheon

France, the reigning champions of Europe and the globe, bowed out of the World Cup today in the most miserable of circumstances.

After being outplayed by Senegal in the first game and out-battled by Uruguay in the next, France collapsed against Denmark in the Incheon stadium, Korea.

Without winning a game, without scoring a goal even, France - and their host of great stars of the game - were on the plane home.

As for Denmark, who have ended up on top of Group A, this was a victory for good organisation, stout hearts and self-belief, crowned by opportunist strikes from Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Even the return of Zinedine Zidane from injury, so often the inspiration, did not help Les Bleus. Despite hugely unequal possession in their favour, and the majority of the chances, when it came to finding a finish there was only one team in it.

Denmark had needed to avoid a two-goal defeat to ensure qualification, and as a result coach Morten Olsen fielded a defensive line-up, with Tomasson the only striker and a five-man midfield.

Sylvain Wiltord and David Trezeguet lit up what had been a tentative opening period with a classy attacking move. The Arsenal player sent Trezeguet through down the right and should have received a return pass but his team-mate tried to score from a difficult angle and Sorensen saved low to his right.

Vieira played Zidane in over the top of defence and though he got a toe to the ball he just failed to bring it under control, collapsing in a heap instead. To the relief of France, he got up apparently unharmed.

After 22 minutes, and completely against the run of play, France's hopes of staying in the tournament suffered the blow they had been dreading.

The French failed to clear the lines and the ball fell to Stig Tofting on the right who spotted Rommedahl unmarked at the far post. The cross was perfect and so was Rommedahl's finish, the Dane firing unerringly past Fabien Barthez.

The moment all of France had been waiting for nearly arrived after 37 minutes, when Zidane looked up from 25 yards out and curled a peach of a chip over Sorensen but just missing the corner of the goal by a whisker.

Five minutes into the second half, Zidane took a corner and Marcel Desailly made a marvellous leap to connect with a towering header but the ball crashed back off the crossbar.

France suffered a second shattering blow in the 67th minute when Tomasson put Denmark 2-0 up.

There was more than a little controversy over the goal - or there would have been had France any spirit left in them. As Chelsea winger Jesper Gronkjaer crossed, Tomasson appeared to pull back Desailly and then was free to steer the ball past Barthez.

France's luck was then summed up by three events in quick succession. First Sorensen spilled Djibril Cisse's effort from a tight angle but the ball bounced past the post into touch. Then Wiltord - France's liveliest player - spun and shot, but straight at the Danish keeper.

Finally, Wiltord's cross from the left was met first time by Zidane, but the ball struck the underside of the bar and bounced into Sorensen's arms.

Zidane whizzed a free-kick past the post, Cisse had Sorensen scampering across goal for a shot which went wide, but it was all to no avail.

The whistle blew, the Danes celebrated, the French were left in despair.

Teams

Denmark: Sorensen, Tofting (Nielsen 79), Henriksen, Laursen, Helveg, Niclas Jensen, Gravesen, Poulsen (Bogelund 75), Rommedahl, Jorgensen (Gronkjaer 45), Tomasson.

Subs Not Used: Christiansen, Heintze, Claus Jensen, Kjaer, Lovenkrands, Lustu, Madsen, Michaelsen, Sand.

Booked: Poulsen, Niclas Jensen.

Goals: Rommedahl 22, Tomasson 67.

France: Barthez, Candela, Thuram, Desailly, Lizarazu, Makelele, Zidane, Vieira (Micoud 71), Wiltord (Djorkaeff 83), Trezeguet, Dugarry (Cisse 54).

Subs Not Used: Boghossian, Christanval, Coupet, Leboeuf, Rame, Sagnol, Silvestre.

Booked: Dugarry.

Att: 48,100

Ref: V M Pereira (Portugal).