Brazilians across the country crawled out of bed with their eyes dried from so much crying after watching France shatter their dreams of another World Cup victory.

A Brazilian fan reacts as she watches the World Cup 2006 quarter-final soccer match between Brazil and France on a video screen in Rio de Janeiro July 1, 2006.[Reuters]

An Amazon river of tears flowed at the packed Picote bar in the Flamengo neighborhood here on Saturday as customers gazed at the television sets in disbelief, unable to believe that their team would not be playing in the World Cup final -- and not even the semi-finals.

Defeat was too much for Nilda Amorim, 61, who was rushed to the hospital just after Brazil's 1-0 defeat in Frankfurt.

"She's in an oxygen tent," said one of her friends. "She couldn't handle the tension of the last minutes, when Brazil didn't manage to score a goal."

An angry 19 year-old who could not stop gnawing on his fingernails in the last minutes of the game blamed the players for the defeat. "Brazil didn't play well," he said. "They always tremble against France."

France had beaten Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final in Paris and inflicted more pain on Saturday.

Customers, many wearing green-and-yellow wigs, hats and t-shirts, were confident that their team would crush France and had arrived at the bar ready to celebrate.

By the end of the first half however they had grown impatient.

"This team is beginning to exasperate me -- what are they doing? If they keep it up like this, France is going to win, dammit!" cried Nilza, 33. Someone in the background yelled out "Ronaldo, hurry up and score!"

When France's Thierry Henry -- and not Ronaldo -- scored 12 minutes into the second half, faces tightened with worry and the festive mood evaporated.

Insults against coach Carlos Alberto Parreira grew louder every time he appeared on the screen. Even the players were not safe. "Cafu, it's time to retire!" cried out one of the customers at the 36-year-old veteran.

And when the referee blew the final whistle the crowd was shocked into silence.

Then the tears began to flow.

Marina Mayo, 43, choked on tears as she tried to absorb the defeat. "I really didn't expect this," she mumbled, then blamed Parreira, who was in charge for the second time after leading Brazil to the 1994 crown.

"The coach trusted his team too much. He should have made changes earlier, but he is too stubborn. I can't stop crying," she said.

With all its world-class stars Brazil "did not have the right to lose," said Julio Lopes, 57, who had been playing a noisy samba instrument throughout the game.

Lopes also blamed Parreira.

"He was too conservative, he made mistakes. France played better," he said.

At least one patron refused to join the chorus of lament. "Now I'm going to support Portugal! The party continues!" cried Soledad Trino, as she tried to console her friends.

Portugal's team is coached by the charismatic Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari, revered for leading Brazil to victory in the 2002 World Cup final in Yokohama.

In the capital Brasilia, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who watched the match on TV at home with his family, called the players in Frankfurt to "express his solidarity" for the defeat, a presidential spokeswoman said.

Lula also called Scolari to congratulate him for Portugal's victory in a penalty shootout over England, the spokeswoman added.