France's hopes of victory were undermined as early as the 24th minute when Eric Abidal was sent off for a professional foul on Luca Toni in the penalty area.

With star man Franck Ribery having already been taken from the pitch on a stretcher with a leg injury, France's woes were compounded when Andrea Pirlo scored from the resulting penalty.

Daniele Di Rossi then sealed Italy's 2-0 win when his second-half free-kick, which deflected off Henry, nestled in the back of the French goal.

According to Henry, the match was a reflection of a campaign in which the French failed to ride their luck.

The Barcelona striker drew attention to a handball by Holland defender Andre Ooijer in France's previous game, a 4-1 defeat to the eventual group winners, which could have seen Raymond Domenech's side gain an advantage similar to that enjoyed by the Italians last night.

"I do not want to make excuses but if we had the penalty and the red card (for Ooijer's handball) against Holland that the Italians had against us things could have been different," he told French newspaper L'Equipe.

"It is very difficult to play against Italy with 10 men."

Defender Patrice Evra was, however, less sympathetic to his country's misfortunes and believes France have no excuses for their exit.

"It is terrible, terrible," said Evra. "For a nation as big as ours, with the players we have, to go out like this is terrible.

"There are no excuses. We were in the best possible condition. You can talk about the penalty, about the sending off. Yes, these affected the game but they are just details and we must take responsibility for being in this position."

The exit could mark the end of an era for France, whose ageing key players failed to stamp their authority on the big stage as they once did.

Patrick Vieira struggled with injury throughout and could not play, Claude Makelele looked off the pace and captain Lilian Thuram was left on the bench against Italy.

Evra declined to comment on what he thought France's future holds, and insisted team spirit was good throughout a troubled tournament.

"Is this the end of an era?" said the Manchester United man. "I do not know and I do not speak of the future.

"I heard stupid things about the atmosphere in the squad not being good. It was very good, maybe too good. But we lost.

"I am not angry with the team. I do not like to lose but I will not be looking for excuses. We have three matches and we didn't win a single one.

"I am sorry for everyone and I am having trouble taking this in."