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The Red Sticks began their World Cup campaign in style, displaying loads of flair, and gave the Argentinians a run for their money in their opener but failed to earn a single point for all their efforts.
Sixteen circle entries, eleven shots on target, and seven PCs, against the French, ought to have produced more than just one late equalizer, and when Fred Soyez's team look back, they will rue the fact that it was their poor finishing against the lowest-ranked side at Bhubaneswar which ultimately led to their calamitous exit.
Spain had a chance to redeem themselves and seemed to be on track when they went into the long breather with a comfortable two-goal lead against New Zealand - but, like in their opener, surrendered the initiative and the lead, leaving their fate in the hands of neighbours France after splitting points with the Black Sticks.
Even so, the Spanish would have more than fancied their chances of making it to the crossovers with the knowledge that Jeroen Delmee's boys had to beat Olympic champions Argentina - or at the very least, earn a high-scoring draw with a scoreline that read 5-5 or higher.
Yet, in true fairy-tale style, the French scored four quick goals in the second quarter and a late fifth goal which ensured that Les Bleus will now march ahead, while the Odisha World Cup will see no more of either Enrique Gonzalez's brilliance or Xavi Lleonart's spectacular solo runs.
The French have not just made it to the crossovers - incredibly enough, they finish second, ahead of New Zealand and tonight's Pool B matches will determine whether they run into England, Ireland, or China in the next round.
Let us take a look at 3 factors that may have been significant in determining the ultimate course of this match.
#3 Argentinian defence caught napping time and again
Argentina who had employed a front-marking man-to-man defence against the Spanish failed to keep it tight against France which allowed the French to advance at will. The Olympic champions failed to intercept the accurate through-balls and crosses which made their way into the striking circle unabated.
Argentina's deep defence was extremely slow to react and the French strikers made their way to the goalmouth largely unchallenged. Hugo Genestet had one chance to find the back of the net before he finally scored the opening goal.
Vivaldi pulled off a near-impossible save but the Argentine defence failed to get organized and allowed Genestet to re-enter the circle soon after. The opening goal set the tone for the second quarter and was followed by three more quick goals which the South Americans had no answer to.
#2 France change gears in the second quarter
Les Bleus just about managed two circle penetrations in the first quarter while the Argentinians had quite a few chances to score and it seemed only a matter of time before Peillat would fire his team ahead with a lethal drag flick.
German Orozco could not have prepared for the sudden onslaught which the French launched after the short break and the Argentinians were caught unawares as Victor Charlet and Genestet went on an inspired rampage up front.
The French managed eight circle entries in the space of fifteen minutes with seven shots on goal and came close to scoring a couple more than they actually did - such was their sudden ascendancy.
Argentina was stunned by the sudden change of gears by their opponents and went on the backfoot completely. It would be fair to say that the second quarter changed the complexion of the match as the Olympic champions managed to enter the French circle only twice and lost the plot from thereon.
#3 Superb finishing by the French seals the deal
It was not Argentina who were impacted by the result of the final Pool A clash since the Los Leones had booked a quarterfinal place even before the opening whistle was blown. However, the principal reason behind Spain's early exit was their failure to get the goalbound shots right in the striking circle.
The Red Sticks were a lot more creative and skilful than the French but are going home simply because they failed to find the back of the net often enough all through the course of the competition.
The French, however, managed 11 shots on goal from a total of 19 circle entries with Vivaldi pulling off a few saves and leaving his post to narrow the angle on quite a few occasions.
Jeroen Delmee's boys refused to squander the chances that came their way, and as a result, created history at the Kalinga Stadium - while the Spanish, who promised so much will now join captain Miguel Delas who had to fly home after their opener.
Head to Sportskeeda to check out the schedule for the upcoming matches.
