Portugal's Joao Felix hit the post in the shootout after a 0-0 draw, before Theo Hernandez converted France's winning penalty to send Didier Deschamps' side through to the Euro 2024 semi-finals against Spain.
This time around, there was no tearjerker for Cristiano Ronaldo, who was overcome with emotion during Portugal's last-16 win over Slovenia, but despite converting his own penalty, the 39-year-old's last Euros campaign ended in defeat. He was left to console his brilliant 41-year-old teammate Pepe after it was all over.
Ronaldo was on the fringes for much of the tricky contest, but both teams will feel they could have won it late in normal time. France's Mike Maignan made two sharp saves to deny Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha before denying Ronaldo's follow-up backheel, while Randal Kolo Mouanyi had his shot blocked by Ruben Dias at the other end and Eduardo Camavinga ran wide of the far post from close range.
Impact sub Ousmane Dembele swatted the post in the dying minutes of the 90th minute, but the recent European champions erred on the side of caution in extra time, with Ronaldo's half-chance being squandered by Pepe and Dayot Upamecano as they celebrated blocks as if they were goals.
The main story of that extra time was the half-time substitution of Kylian Mbappe, who suffered a blow to the face early in the game. The France star, nursing a broken nose while wearing a mask, must have felt seriously unwell before leaving the pitch before the shootout, but his teammates were perfect from 12 yards.
Joao Felix missed the only shot of the game when he smashed the ball into the top corner, giving Hernandez a chance to send France into fourth place and face Spain in Munich on Tuesday.
Analysis: Ronaldo is back in the spotlight, but is this really his moment?
Cristiano Ronaldo takes on Theo Hernandez
Even with superstar Kylian Mbappe on the pitch, the spotlight is on Cristiano Ronaldo. His penalty shootout penalty encapsulates the theatre surrounding him. The dramatic gasp. The staggering run. And the huge celebration when he impressively thumps the ball into the hole.
But while he may have played his part in Portugal's two shootouts in the knockout stages of this year's Euros, his contribution in regular play has been less convincing. He has been isolated here and there, ignoring half-chances that have come his way.
As Portugal failed to connect in the final third, Gonzalo Ramos and Diogo Jota, who famously scored hat-tricks as starters for Ronaldo at the World Cup, sat on the bench, wondering when they would get their chance. There was no nod from Roberto Martinez.
The Portuguese manager has supported Ronaldo to the end. And this will probably be the last time we see him at a major tournament. His last Euro ended without a goal, showing, at least to observers outside the Portuguese camp, that it is time to move on to the next generation.
