That the world champions failed to take one single shot at the French goal in 90 minutes of the quarterfinal (the great Ronaldo did take one shot at Fabien Barthez in injury time) says all about how Brazil played against the 1998 World Cup winners.

There can be no denying that Brazil had been struggling throughout the tournament, failing to produce anything resembling their best football despite winning four matches. And it was difficult for the battling side trying to play against a reunited team who just put everyone behind the ball under the leadership of Zidane.

The French were anything less than impressive on way to the last eight and knowing their limitation, they did the best thing to stop a team that know only one way to play: attacking. Raymond Domenech's five-pack midfield suffocated their counterparts effectively, cutting the link between the two forwards and the playmakers, with Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele doing the dirty work. Kaka or Juninho never delivered the trademark 'Brazilian' final passes that were menacing or could bother the tight French defence. Still, it would have been a stalemate had not the man with a two-syllable nickname dominated by letters from the alphabet -- Zizou -- decided to prepare the stage for his own farewell by himself.

The match itself, was nowhere near the 1986 classic between the two sides that Brazil lost on penalties or even the 1998 final where France played scintillating football to hand the South American heavyweights their biggest ever World Cup defeat with Zidane's brace. It needed the individual brilliance of one man to separate the two sides and while Brazil's best hope Ronaldinho slumbered as he had the rest of the tournament, it was Zidane who pumped adrenalin into his teammates to make it an embarrassingly one-sided affair in the end.

Zidane, who saw his world champions exit from Korea/Japan without scoring a single goal, had retired from the international stage but returned to help France qualify for the 2006 finals. Playing like a man possessed to exorcise the ghost of 2002, he showed what he can do with the ball even under tight marking, making the Samba Magicians mere spectators and appreciate his skill on and off the pitch. Brazil survived his defence splitting passes and dangerous freekicks. But not forever. The decisive moment came on the brink of the hour when ageing Brazilian captain Cafu, who came to football's showpiece event with an eye on extending his record of playing three finals to four, simply could not cope with speed of Malouda and fouled the speedy winger to stop an attack. Zidane aired the ball over the entire Brazilian defence, which had been excellent throughout the game but faltered for one occasion seized by Thierry Henry who toe-poked from handshaking distance to hammer the final nail. It was very painful to see an exhausted Roberto Carlos, one of the best fullbacks in the history of the game, resting with his hands on the hips just outside the area when he should have marked the Arsenal striker.

Zidane's free-flowing game proved one thing that Brazil actually missed the injured Emerson, their holding midfielder, badly. Carlos Alberto Parreira, the man who led Brazil to their fourth World Cup win, perhaps played to the French tune. Instead of playing Adriano or Robinho beside Ronaldo, he sent Ronaldinho up front. Ronaldinho -- twice FIFA Player of the Year who shaped Barcelona's successive league titles as well as the Champions' Trophy success this year -- simply did not turn out. No wonder he was outvoted by Ronaldo in a recent poll in Brazil. Robinho, Adriano and Cicinho came too late and showed that Brazil needed the exuberance of youth to turn on the style against the French masters, just as they did last summer in the Confederations Cup in Germany.

It is hard to believe that the same trio, with a classy Ronaldinho, was in the heart of Brazil's 4-1 demolition of Argentina in the Confederations Cup final at the same venue after ousting Germany 3-2 in the semifinal without the likes of Ronaldo, Cafu and Roberto Carlos but was ignored this time.

What went wrong in one year? Just as I had said earlier, things have gone downhill for the individuals. Ronaldo (he recovered to end with record 15 World Cup goals) and Adriano seemed short of sharpness. Cafu -- who turned 36 two days before the tournament kicked off -- returned from a surgery while Roberto Carlos had been embarrassing on numerous occasions at Real Madrid. Ronaldinho and Kaka -- having played almost two games every week in Europe -- turned out with tired legs.

“You'll see the artistic football in Germany, so relax,” chipped in a smiling Ronaldinho before the tournament. For now, it seems the Jogo Bonito ('Beautiful game') will have to wait.

So it would mark the end of a generation for Brazil. International career of Cafu and Roberto Carlos, who ruled the wings for over a decade, is certainly over and also may be for Ronaldo, who was quoted to hang up his boots after the World Cup. Also, probably the last World Cup appearances for Ze Roberto, Juninho, Emerson and Dida, all the wrong side of 30.

We have to wait and see which height Zidane -- prepared to ride into a glorious sunset after guaranteeing the first all European semifinals in 24 years -- reaches when he faces his old pal Luis Figo's Portugal in the last four. There, his form would definitely be under the scrutiny of another Brazilian -- coach Luiz Felipe Scolari who masterminded Brazil's record fifth World Cup triumph four years ago.

Goalkeeper Ricardo's brilliant penalty savings saw Portugal elbow out ten-man England in the tie-breaker at Gelsenkirchen in a repeat of the Euro 2004 semifinal and take sweet revenge of the 1966 semifinal loss to the eventual champions.

England were once again victim of the 'emotional shredder' -- the penalty shoot-out which they have yet to win at any stage. But they looked like going ahead and deserved a victory but for the 'angry young man' Wayne Rooney's stomping on Ricardo Carvalho that got him sent off. England took a risk by bringing the injured temperamental striker and paid for his gaffe.

With the opposition down to ten men, Portugal were supposed to go for a win in normal time but that never happened. Who wants to lose, anyway?