The best-case scenario for France was that their pace would rip Argentina apart and, in the end, their wildest dreams came true.
This was scintillating football that both played to their strengths and capitalised upon where their opponents are weakest; in that sense it was a particular triumph for Didier Deschamps, who has long been accused of forcing his team to play with the handbrake on.
Theory is one thing but on a stage like this, and in front of a partisan crowd heavily weighted toward Argentina, carrying out a game plan is something else. Yet France saw an opportunity and exposed their opponents.
You sensed Argentina would be in trouble when, only seven minutes in, Mbappe blazed away from Javier Mascherano and won the free kick from which Griezmann hit the frame. Accordingly, it would not be long before the veteran midfielder was left trailing the youngster again, this time watching as Rojo conceded the penalty.
At that stage it seemed a question of how many goals France would score but then came their wobble either side of half-time. However, the response showed that, deployed correctly, France have the resources to throttle anybody.
It is not the kind of football they have generally played under Deschamps and they are not yet good enough to switch off, as they did for Di Maria's goal, but perhaps this was a watershed moment. The manager has spoken at length about his team's youth and inexperience but they appeared to grow up, delivering against an old foe in style.
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