Now, perhaps, it is the end of an era, with some of the older French players probably destined for international retirement.

But encouragingly for the LFP, seven home-based players featured in the match and all played their part in what was in some ways France's best performance of the tournament.

The re-match of the last World Cup final was one both sides had to win to have even a hope of progressing - but for France it all went horribly wrong in the first 25 minutes. And their luck hardly improved after that.

Before the match had even begun came the shock news that neither Willie Sagnol nor Lilian Thuram would be in the French starting line-up - then in the eighth minute the influential Franck Ribery was carried off with an ankle injury.

Ribery, so important to France down the left, collided with Gianluca Zambrotta, and it was immediately obvious he was in serious trouble.

He was replaced by substitute Samir Nasri - who had been on the field only 15 minutes when he, too, had to be replaced in bizarre circumstances.

France conceded a penalty when Eric Abidal - who had been called up in place of Thuram - brought down Luca Toni from behind in a tangle of legs. It was a clear-cut penalty but there was a case for only a yellow card.

Andrea Pirlo hit the perfect spot-kick to make it 1-0, and with France needing to patch up their back line, the unlucky Nasri was sacrificed to get on an extra defender in Jean-Alain Boumsong.

The ten men of France defended stubbornly to keep the margin to 1-0 by half-time, helped by one outstanding finger-tip save by Gregory Coupet.

And in the early stages of the second half France dominated the game, with Thierry Henry and the lively Karim Benzema both going close to a goal.

But just when hopes were rising of a sensational French recovery came another horrendously unlucky moment.

After 62 minutes Italy were awarded a free kick 30 metres from goal. The ball was teed up for Daniele de Rossi, whose low drive - going wide - took a wicked deflection off the left foot of Thierry Henry on the end of the wall, and completely wrong-footed Coupet as it flew into the net.

Even then France were determined to salvage some pride, and Benzema forced one of the saves of the tournament from Gianluigi Buffon, forcing the keeper to dive high to his left to keep out a shot curling into the top corner.

It simply was not France's night, with so much ill fortune, and disappointment at some refereeing decisions they felt did not go their way.

Italy, meanwhile, have scrambled through to a quarter-final against Spain, thanks to their victory and Holland's 2-0 defeat of Romania.

FRANCE: Coupet, Clerc, Gallas, Abidal, Evra, Govou (Anelka 66), Toulalan, Makelele, Ribery (Nasri 10/Boumsong 25), Benzema, Henry. Subs Not Used: Mandanda, Frey, Vieira, Malouda, Thuram, Squillaci, Gomis, Sagnol, Diarra.

Sent Off: Abidal (24). Booked: Evra, Govou, Boumsong, Henry.

ITALY: Buffon, Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso, Pirlo (Ambrosini 55), De Rossi, Gattuso (Aquilani 82), Toni, Perrotta (Camoranesi 64), Cassano. Subs Not Used: Amelia, De Sanctis, Gamberini, Barzagli, Del Piero, Di Natale, Borriello, Quagliarella, Materazzi.

Booked: Chiellini, Pirlo, Gattuso. Goals: Pirlo 25 pen, De Rossi 62.

Ref: Lubos Michel (Slovakia). 

Attendance: 25,000 (In Zurich)