FRANCE'S World Cup collapse is complete. Dennis Rommedahl struck in the first half and Jon Dahl Tomasson recorded his fourth goal in the second as Denmark secured a second-round berth with a 2-0 blanking of France.

The Danes won Group A after Senegal was forced to settle for a 3-3 draw against Uruguay.

One of the favorites to lift the 2002 World Cup, France became the first defending champion since Brazil in 1966 to fail to advance from the opening round.

Despite the return of superstar playmaker Zinedine Zidane, the French became the first defending champion in history not to score in a World Cup. In fact, Greece was the last team of any description to fail to record a goal, earning the dubious honor at the 1994 World Cup.

"It is obvious we didn't deserve to progress to the second round. We had a little chance here. We prepared for this game with everything we had and we did our best," France coach Roger Lemerre said.

"In a World Cup, we have to be ready from the first day. When you are in trouble the first day, it means something is wrong.

"I have to confess before coming here, we had a series of small problems. We have never been 100 percent of our full potential."

In the round of 16, Denmark will face the second-place team from Group F. That will be either Sweden, England or Argentina.

The winner of Denmark-France meetings during tournament play has enjoyed remarkable success in the last 18 years. The Danes defeated the French in 1992 en route to their European Championship triumph.

Meanwhile, France beat Denmark on the way to winning the 1998 World Cup, as well as the 1984 and 2000 European Championships.

Denmark registered just two shots on goal in the entire match and scored on both. Stig Toftig's 22nd-minute cross found Rommedahl on the left side of the box. The PSV Eindhoven forward put the half-volley past goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.

"The last game was important and we had a good day. The team played with a lot of confidence and especially a lot of discipline," Denmark coach Morten Olsen said.

"Especially our little country Denmark. We have to live for good organization and I thought we also played a good combination of football."

Focusing on thwarting France's potentially explosive offensive, the Danes' next shot on goal did not come until the 67th minute. Jesper Gronkjaer, who replaced Martin Jorgensen to start the second half, fed Tomasson. The AC Milan forward tapped it home and joined Germany's Miroslav Klose atop the World Cup goal-scoring table.

David Trezeguet's World Cup frustrations continued in the opening half. The Juventus striker finished the Serie A season as the joint-top scorer with 24 goals. But Trezeguet failed to convert on a

combined eight shots in the opening two matches and had two more shots stopped in the first half against Denmark.

On 18 minutes the 24-year-old Trezeguet's left-footed effort was saved by Thomas Sorensen. On the half-hour mark, the Danish goalkeeper got down well to stop Trezeguet's header.

"It's very difficult to analyze the situation right now," Lemerre said.

"It's very difficult for the world champions and European champions to be eliminated during the first round.

"It is difficult for the players first, for myself and for the French who probably were watching the game on television. This is definitely very difficult to take."

Playing with his injured left thigh strapped, Zidane had a role in almost all of France's 11 shots. The former FIFA World Player of the Year almost scored himself seven minutes before halftime. Zidane's curling shot just missed the top right corner of the net.

"The confidence of Zidane backing the team was a very big stimulant for France," Olsen said. "We marked him really well. It was very difficult for him to commit to the game. But again, I think it was very good for our team."

The woodwork also has been unkind to the French. Off a corner six minutes into the second half, captain Marcel Desailly headed the ball of the crossbar.

The luckless Trezeguet also struck the crossbar in the 74th minute from just six yards away.