France suffered another disastrous exit from a major competition at the hands of unfancied opponents as Greece achieved a sensational victory in Lisbon's Jose Alvalade stadium.
Jacques Santini's France may have gone one better than the last World Cup and made it through the group stage but this still represented a humiliation. Few would have given Greece, very much the minnows in the four quarter-finals, any chance.
German coach Otto Rehhagel has quietly put together a classy-looking side and they fully-deserved their victory, secured by Angelos Charisteas' bullet header.
France, looking completely out of sorts and with Patrick Vieira's injury-enforced absence leaving a chasm in the reigning champions' midfield, never came to terms with the Greeks' pressing tactics and hard-running.
Greece had the quality up front too, where Rehhagel chose a 4-2-3-1 formation that the French struggled to combat. Atletico Madrid's Themistoklis Nikolaidis tucked in superbly just behind Charisteas, while the midfield and defence denied France space.
It was the Greeks who nearly drew first blood. Charisteas leapt above Mikael Silvestre after Panagiotis Fyssas' good work down the left but was unable to direct his header on goal.
Charisteas was then involved again, heading back for Nikolaidis to test Fabien Barthez with a rising effort from just outside the box.
France breathed another sharp sign of relief when Nikolaidis latched onto a free-kick and shot from 10 yards, Barthez just managing to keep it out at the second attempt.
Bixente Lizarazu attempted to spark the French into life with a raiding run down the left but the Greece defence did well to block out his cut-back.
The Basque full-back was also the creative force when, overlapping Zidane, he curled over a cross that Thierry Henry met with a good header but a yard wide.
The Greeks kept pressing, however, and Konstantinos Katsouranis' snap-shot drew another good save from Barthez.
Fyssas fizzed in a dipping shot to enliven the Greeks, but Barthez tipped it over, then Henry's solo run ended with his drive deflected and looping into the hands of Antonios Nikopolidis.
Henry at least showed some appetite, unlike David Trezeguet, and the Arsenal striker hit a bouncing ball on the turn that Nikopolidis was happy to see skid past the post.
That upped the tempo and Lizarazu's fabulous run, including two nutmegs, nearly paid dividends, then Henry floated a cross over the keeper towards Trezeguet but Mihalis Kapsis made a fabulous clearance from under his crossbar.
Henry volleyed wide, then Nikopolidis clutched a low left-footer from the Gunner, but then France were stunned as Greece took a shock lead with 25 minutes left.
Theo Zagorakis, formerly of Leicester City, outwitted Lizarazu and struck a cross from the byline. Charisteas it met with a full-blooded header and wham! The net bulged, France were stunned and Greece were in the lead.
Louis Saha and Sylvain Wiltord came on for Trezeguet and Dacourt as France coach Santini looked disaster in the face and Les Bleus immediately looked brighter, but Greece continued to defend resolutely and were good value for their one goal victory.
Greece have made great strides under the leadership of their German coach, Otto Rehhagel, and goalscorer Charisteas believes their potential is only beginning to be tapped: "We have deserved to be where we now are. Now everything is possible."
Filed by Barry McEneaney
