His flicks and passes still find their man, of course, but often they are the safe option.

The brilliant, telling pass, the vision that opened up the play in ways that few others saw or even knew was there are no longer in his armoury.

DOUBTFUL IMPACT

In 1998 Zidane missed two games at the World Cup after a foul almost as pointless as the one he committed here when he was sent off for stamping on a Saudi Arabian player with the game already won.

France missed him in the next two games against Paraguay and Italy, but they came through to reach the semi-finals and went on to win the showpiece itself on home soil.

They did that because, apart from Zidane, they had so many other great players. Now his absence could be a blessing in disguise, with Domenech forced to re-shuffle his starting lineup to pep up his team.

Zidane was not the only below-par Frenchman here.

Henry may have scored France's first goal in the World Cup since the final eight years ago, but he wasted other good chances. For once William Gallas looked flustered and indisciplined at the back.

Florent Malouda played well enough in midfield, but Patrick Vieira looked jaded and the shot he blasted into the Leipzig night air when it looked easier to score summed up his contribution.

For their part South Korea seemed to have even fewer ideas and only came to life in the last 10 minutes after Park Ji-sung equalised following a quick break down the right.

Those last few minutes were the best in the entire match when both teams went in search of the winner.

Poignantly, though, Zidane did not make it to the end.

Domenech replaced him with three minutes to go when the maestro walked off a pitch perhaps for the last time as a player in his 104th international.

If it was the end, it was a sad one. But perhaps there is still more to come. He at least deserves a better finale