Youri Djorkaeff celebrates a thumping winner in Bruges (SBotterill/Allsport)

For while France ultimately deserved their narrow quarter-final success against perennial under-achievers Spain in Bruges, they were in the end indebted to striker Raul as he blazed a last-minute penalty high over the bar a la Chris Waddle.

The Spanish had hauled themselves back into the game on 37 minutes when Gaizka Mendieta calmly slotted home their first penalty of the game to equalise Zinedine Zidane's ferocious free-kick.

However, after an equally powerful drive by Youri Djorkaeff had given the French the lead again just before the break, Mendieta was then substituted and it was left to Raul to revive Spanish hopes from the spot instead.

But while Spain had produced an amazing comeback with two injury-time goals to beat Yugoslavia 4-3 in their final group game earlier this week, this time they were left ruing their inability to yet again make their obvious individual talent tell on a major tournament.

And so France, who never showed the overwhelming power of the Dutch or even the relative ease with which Portugal or Italy prevailed but were still controlled in their display until Manchester United keeper Fabien Barthez conceded the late spot-kick, went through.

Portugal now stand in their path amid an enticing semi-final line-up, yet there is an air of determination about this French side, who stood linked arm-to-arm for the singing of their national anthem and played in the same committed way.

Former Arsenal striker Nicolas Anelka may have been left out of the starting line-up but that was to accommodate a tactical shift which left Thierry Henry as a lone striker but with considerable support flowing out from midfield.

And what support it was - Zidane, one of the most complete players of his generation, Djorkaeff, who was weaving the Spanish defenders inside and out, and Christophe Dugarry, who provided width down the right flank.

Behind them, in the absence of Emmanuel Petit, the Arsenal-Chelsea alliance of Patrick Vieira and Didier Deschamps were supposed 'water-carriers' of the highest quality as they provided the base from which France could attack as they rarely did in the World Cup.

Vieira and Dugarry both headed early chances over the bar, while Henry weaved effortlessly around three defenders but sliced his shot wide.

They were admittedly leaving holes behind them for the Spanish to exploit on the counter-attack and Raul almost caught Fabien Barthez off his line as he instinctively turned and shot only for the recent Manchester United recruit to just recover in time.

Spanish appeals for handball inside the penalty area by Zidane also went unheeded but the French midfielder's real inspiration for the opening goal surely came from an astonishing miss on 31 minutes.

Left with the goal seemingly at his mercy by Dugarry's incisive pass, he missed his kick but, only a minute later, then stepped up to unleash a fearsome dead-ball effort into the roof of the net from 25 yards out.

They were unable to hold onto that lead for any longer than five minutes, however, before Lilian Thuram took away Pedro Munitis' legs and Mendieta, who had equalised with a spot-kick in injury-time against Yugoslavia, rolled his shot into the net with aplomb.

Spain, who lost the 1984 European Championship final to France, have not beaten Les Blues since 1981 and have indeed never won a competitive game between the two countries, but now had renewed hope.

That was reckoning without Djorkaeff, however.

Put through by Vieira, the Kaiserslautern midfielder unleashed a drive of the highest quality from a relatively tight angle and keeper Santiago Canizares hardly moved an inch as the ball rifled into the top corner.

Spain appeared to be still deflated by that strike when the game resumed and while Barthez had to dive at the feet of Alfonso, they offered little other threat in the opening stages of the second-half.

And while the Spanish were increasingly dominating possession, midfielder Mendieta was soon sacrificed to allow striker Ismael Urzaiz to come in, with Alfonso pushing out towards the right flank.

As the game became scrappier, the Spanish pressure did eventually increase, with Marcel Desailly blocking Abelardo's goalbound header, and two further substitutes - Gerard and Joseba Etxeberria joining the fray.

Victory seemed to be assured as France held on with resolve until Barthez was adjudged to have brought down Abelardo with a minute left with a challenge that he simply did not need to make.

Raul's penalty, however, sailed over the bar - and with it went Spain's hopes.