French playmaker Zinedine Zidane said France produced a great performance when it was needed to knock holders Brazil out of the World Cup on Saturday.
"We needed a great match and we delivered. We knew we would have to be fit physically and we were," he told reporters after the 1-0 win.
"We fought closely together for a well-deserved victory. Now we'll try to win a place in the final. We don't want to stop now. This is so beautiful, we want it to carry on," added Zidane, who will retire from soccer after the World Cup.
Goalscorer Thierry Henry said the win was deserved.
"We played well. We didn't steal anything from anybody. We had a tactical plan and it worked perfectly," he said.
"We wanted to prove after what happened in 2002 that we were not rubbish," he added, referring to France's early exit four years ago.
Coach Raymond Domenech had nothing but praise for a team written off earlier in the competition as too old.
"It was extraordinary. Sometimes they aren't any words to describe what you're experiencing. I tackled with them, I shot with them. The old men are still around.
"Portugal won't be easy but for the moment, let me enjoy this. There's only football to offer you great moments like this," he added.
France play Portugal in the semi-finals in Munich on Wednesday.
