Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has been ruled out of the World Cup after fracturing his right tibia in tonight's friendly against China in St Etienne.
Cisse collapsed in agony after colliding with China captain Zhi Zheng in the 11th minute of a match France eventually won 3-1.
He lay prone for several minutes before being carried off on a stretcher with his leg attached to a splint.
Afterwards France coach Raymond Domenech confirmed the 24-year-old would not take part in Germany.
He said: 'Cisse went straight to the hospital where he is currently being operated on. He has an open fracture of the tibia.'
Cisse has scored nine goals in 30 games for France but Domenech must now call up a replacement with Fenerbahce's Nicolas Anelka and Barcelona's Ludovic Giuly already thought to be in the frame.
Domenech added: 'We don't know the name of his replacement yet, we want to take our time in order to make the right decision.
'This is a big shock and a huge trauma for the team.'
Cisse missed the majority of the 2004-05 season with a similar injury to his left leg, sustained in game against Blackburn at Ewood Park in October 2004.
In that instance he was initially ruled out for the rest of the season but returned sooner than expected and featured in Liverpool's Champions League final win over AC Milan last year.
He had joined up with the France squad with doubt surrounding his Liverpool future, however, with Marseille reportedly pursuing a deal.
The former Auxerre forward scored in last month's FA Cup final victory over West Ham but recently criticised manager Rafael Benitez and had looked likely to leave Anfield after the World Cup.
He was linked with moves to Marseille and Tottenham throughout the season but insisted during the last transfer window that he wanted to stay with Liverpool.
The injury overshadowed France's win in their final World Cup warm-up game, although it was another unconvincing performance from Domenech's men.
In the end, they were grateful to substitute Franck Ribery, who sparked a late rally as France netted twice in the closing stages.
First, the Marseille winger's cross from the left was comically shinned past his own goalkeeper on the volley by China defender Wang Yun.
Seconds later, Ribery played a neat one-two with Thierry Henry and, although he was beaten to the return by visiting keeper Li Leilei, the ball fell nicely for Henry to roll into the empty net from 30 yards.
Earlier, David Trezeguet, Cisse's replacement, put the hosts ahead only for Zhi to level from the spot.
Zinedine Zidane, making his last appearance in his native France before retiring after the World Cup, also missed a first-half penalty.
Kingman
