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Jeroen Delmee's side has exhibited by their remarkable show at Bhubaneswar that the intensely-competitive European hockey circuit has the potential to produce world-beating units that are fast closing the gap with the best teams in the world and raising the standards of the game ever so rapidly.
The warning signs were there for all to see when France troubled the New Zealand Black Sticks no end in their opener, going down by a narrow 1-2 margin, before putting on an even better show by holding Spain to a 1-1 draw in the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
The French were then at their absolute peak against Olympic champions Argentina, as they stunned the South Americans with their aggression up front and earned a historic and creditable 5-3 win.
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Quite understandably, Delmee's team adopted a slightly more cautious approach in their first knockout game against a Chinese side which refused to be drawn forward and seemed intent on maintaining their structure at the back even after Timothee Clement had fired the minnows ahead midway through the third quarter.
Kim Sang-Ryul's boys who started with a bang by holding the English and the Irish before being mauled by World Champions Australia seemed to lack the counterattacking flair which they had earlier displayed and managed just 11 circle entries while the French notched up three times that number and dominated the proceedings.
We take a look at the performance of three individuals whose contribution was immense and consistent throughout the entire duration of the match.
#3 Charles Masson
The French attacked the Chinese goal predominantly and consistently from the left flank getting past Kim's midfield with a combination of speed and skill that stretched China's defensive unit to the limit.
Charles Masson kept up the attacks tirelessly and refused to relent even when the initial forays failed to produce the desired results. The 26-year-old was instrumental in creating several chances for his side which also meant that the Chinese had to defend in numbers for pretty much the entire duration of the match.
The remarkable weaving skills which split open the Chinese defence time and again will no doubt have been noticed by Colin Batch's World Champions who will surely keep a close eye on Masson, Victor Lockwood, and Timothee Clement in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
#2 Victor Lockwood
The vital crossover game was always going be an occasion to remember for Victor Lockwood who earned his one-hundredth cap against the Chinese.
The 26-year-old defender ensured by his exploits on the pitch that the win against China which catapulted the lowest-ranked side of the World Cup to the quarterfinal will forever be etched in memory.
Defence is the forte of the Chinese side and getting past Kim's fortress had proven to be a challenging task for the English and the Irish as well.
The French, however, were not to be undone and Victor Lockwood's efforts on the pitch contributed greatly towards breaching the Chinese defence.
Lockwood strung together some crucial passes which made all the difference up front and was the architect of the all-important goal that allowed the French to advance.
A scintillating run down the left flank followed by an angular cross directed in from the baseline found Maximillien Branicki who unleashed a powerful reverse, and Timothee Clement was aptly positioned at the goalmouth to direct the deflection past Caiyu who had been brilliant in goal.
#1 Wang Caiyu
It was France vs Caiyu for large parts of the match
The 21-year-old Chinese goalkeeper has had an amazing World Cup thus far in spite of conceding a barrage of goals against the Australians last Friday.
Wang Caiyu was resolute in goal against the English and stood like a rock between the posts yet again against a marauding French forward line.
The 1-0 margin of victory in favour of the French is hardly a fair reflection of what transpired on the pitch, and the Chinese do need to thank their last-man-standing for rendering respectability to the final scoreline.
Thirteen shots on target that were achieved from thirty-three circle penetrations produced a lone goal thanks to the lightning-quick reflexes and sheer bravery of Caiyu who left his post and charged down Timothee Clement in the first quarter just a couple of minutes after padding a powerful hit to safety.
Caiyu managed to pull off ten saves and frustrate the French strikers who managed to make their way into the attacking circle with ease but failed the elusive opening goal until the 36th minute.
Delmee's boys had some golden chances to double the lead as well but failed to seal the deal and had to toil hard until the very end largely on account of Caiyu's stubborn resistance in goal.
Head to Sportskeeda to check out the schedule for the upcoming matches.
