ARGENTINA is getting tastier by the game.
Messi is the man driving Argentina's World Cup dream
Diego Maradona's men were simply delicious on Thursday night and you get the impression there is better to come.
This is largely down to the mesmerising genius of Lionel Messi, who was again the star turn. Maradona has said that his team is a Rolls-Royce with Messi as its driver; the young man seems now to be going at full speed.
The only surprise in all this is that the 22-year-old has not yet scored. He played a crucial role in all of Argentina's goals on Thursday but could not bag one for himself.
The point about Argentina's attack is that it seems to be getting stronger. Messi plus Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain equals trouble, but in the 75th minute on Thursday, Maradona was able to swap Tevez for Sergio Aguero and within five minutes Argentina had scored two beauties.
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You watch that and ask how Aguero can possibly be left out; but then again, Maradona still has Diego Milito, who scored twice in last month's Champions League final, sitting, doing his nails, on the bench.
Higuain sometimes appears the least accomplished of the lot - there are lofty standards here - although his hat-trick on Thursday is testament to his timing and positional intelligence. But when you consider that Argentina put four past the team who put two past Greece, you feel for the Greeks in four days' time.
Greece will not have to face Jonas Gutierrez because he was given a second yellow card on Thursday, although this may yet work further in Argentina's favour. Their (comparative) weakness is in defence and, although Martin Demichelis gave South Korea its single goal with a dreadful lapse of concentration, its weakest defender is the man it has to find a replacement for.
This may require a little magic from Maradona, although an assessment of Thursday suggests that his wand is working well. Further to the timely substitution, his team scored twice from set pieces, which suggests that it is operating well in training.
But perhaps most telling was his behaviour at the end when he went straight over to Demichelis and wrapped him in a huge hug. "This could happen to anyone," he said of Demichelis's mistake.
He was also asked if his "love" and affection for his players could help to win the World Cup, at which point his eyes widened in astonishment and he quickly spluttered: "I'm not limp-wristed. I prefer women. I am dating Veronica, she is 31, blonde and beautiful.
But the feeling now is that Maradona is doing a serious job. Certainly the football his team has delivered in South Africa inspires respect. Argentina was pressing here from the start, but it was an own goal, from a corner, that got them going. South Korea was always struggling to hold them and thus the fouls, free kicks and chances continued.
The second goal was nodded in by Higuain, unmarked, from a set-piece, but the real quality came after Aguero's introduction. First he fed Messi, and Messi shot twice: one rebounded off the goalkeeper, the second off a post to Higuain for the tap-in. Next, he was on the end of Messi's flick and crossed to Higuain, whose header was sharply directed to complete the Real Madrid man's hat-trick.
South Korea can still qualify and, against a deflated Nigeria, it probably will. But it was not impressive on Thursday, albeit that it is hard to put out flames when they are being ignited everywhere. Argentina is a relentless pyromaniac.
All very nice, then, and happy in Maradona-land.
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