This time around, the flags were kept rolled up. As the game ended on Sunday night, there were no cheers of jubilation on the streets of Paris. Instead there was a collective groan from the thousands of fans who had been hoping for a night of hard, victorious partying. When France won the World Cup in 1998, half of Paris converged on the Champs Elysées and many were hoping for an encore performance.

But on Sunday evening, the masses failed to materialize -- an obvious relief for the dozens of riot police deployed in the area to prevent disorder. Despite the French team's defeat the police, who look like Ninja Turtles with all their gear, were still wearing smiles. After all, the loss reduced the risk of any major problems. "It's much less likely that the hooligans will come out," one said. "They need a large crowd to hide in."

According to police, only 100,000 people made their way during the night to the world's most famous boulevard: agitated couples and families who had equipped themselves with flags and air horns skulking around the Arc de Triomphe. "I'll never eat spaghetti again," one young girl screamed. It's hard to tell whether she wanted to laugh or cry. One despondent boy just dragged his flag along the ground.

"That's not something heroes do"

Further down the boulevard, a few fans lit fireworks and chanted "Merci, Zizou," the nickname for gifted midfielder Zinedine Zidane. Sunday was supposed to be Zidane's fairy tale come true -- a perfect match to mark his retirement from the national team -- but the event soured after he got a red card for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi in the chest. Instead, Zidane's last game turned out to be a dishonorable one that had tarnished a soccer legend's reputation. Indeed, the hero's fall on Sunday night was painful for many French fans. "It's really a shame that this is the way Zidane is saying goodbye," said Léa, a 50-year-old fan wearing a red, white and blue wig. "He's done so many good things for France."

During the evening, images of the members of the national team were projected onto the Arc de Triomphe, starting with Zidane and the words "We love you Zizou". Just a few days ago, the daily Le Parisien called for a monument to be built in the national hero's honor, but after Sunday's game, his reputation has taken a major hit. And many in France were discussing the bad impression he made. "(Materazzi) kept provoking him, over and over again, you just can't play football with that guy," one young man said. But his friend was less forgiving of Zidane: "That's not something that heroes do."

French newspapers on Monday also gave Zidane the red card -- led by sporting magazine L'Equipe, which said the attack was a stupid gesture. "The hardest thing is not to try to understand why Les Bleus lost a World Cup final match that was within reach," the paper wrote, "but to explain to tens of millions of children around the world how you allowed yourself to headbutt Marco Materazzi." Zidane almost succeeded in becoming part of the illustrious circle of sporting legends that includes boxer Muhammad Ali and footballer Pelé, the paper lamented. But not a single one of those legends had "broken the most elementary rules of sport in that way." The paper condemned Zidane's red card as "irreparable."

"The country is losing a star without gaining a new one," wrote the leftist Liberation. The conservative Figaro wrote that the "final and odious headbutt" tarnished Zidane's last match and his reputation. The regional daily La République du Centre attributed Zidane's misconduct to "too much pressure and too much idolatry of a player who is built for simplicity and calm."

Despite the devastating headlines: "Les Bleus' Broken Dream" (Figaro), "The Blue Angel Turned into a Blue Devil" (Parisien), "Eternal Regret" (L'Equipe) -- there has also been some praise for Zidane. "Bravo all the same," wrote the communist paper L'Humanite, "Zizou, thank you, thank you for everything." But Liberation was more than happy to pour salt on Zizou's open wound: "For a month now, France has dreamed of Zidane, but this morning we're waking up with (President Jacques) Chirac. France is a land of contrasts that can no longer dominate the world, even when it's playing football."