World Cup 2010: Park Ji-sung shines as slick South Korea sink Greece

South Korea's Park Ji-sung celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Greece. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images

The best team we have seen so far in the embryonic stages of the World Cup? That would probably be Germany but South Korea – little, patronised South Korea – have also staked their own claim. They played with a freedom and sense of adventure that has not always been seen in the opening few days and, on this evidence, they could be a bigger challenge to Argentina winning Group B than initially anticipated.

The sides meet at Soccer City in Soweto on Thursday, and Diego Maradona's spies in Port Elizabeth will presumably be reporting back that there is reason for due care and attention. Admittedly, Greece look a poor, disjointed side, but this was still a performance to bring back memories of South Korea's wild and eccentric run to the semi-finals, when they co‑hosted the tournament in 2002.

Their performance also contained an element of surprise considering that their coach, Huh Jung-moo, was facing calls for Guus Hiddink's reinstatement after a particularly chastening 3-0 defeat by China in February. On Saturday they were a slick, cohesive unit, counterattacking with pace and purpose, with Manchester United's Park Ji-sung epitomising the team's ethos: comfortable in possession, quick to the ball and plenty of long, hard, indefatigable running.

At 29, Park is talking about retiring from international football at the end of this tournament because of his misgivings about the sapping effects of 11-hour flights to Seoul from his base in Manchester and, quite possibly, having had some pressure placed upon him by his club manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

That, however, would be a great shame for a country where he is football royalty. Park captains South Korea and this was a performance that showed why he is so important, culminating in a splendid goal when he dispossessed the centre-half Loukas Vyntra and drove into the penalty area, holding off his opponent before slipping the ball beneath the oncoming goalkeeper, Alexandros Tzorvas.

Greece had been floundering from the seventh minute, when Lee Jung-soo scored with a close-range volley from a badly defended cross and near-post flick. There could, perhaps should, have been more goals, too. Maradona, Messi et al should not underestimate them.

"Argentina are one of the contenders for the final and they have a lot of very good players," Huh said. "They are a very tough team to play against. But I have told my players we have to remain confident no matter who our opponent is. If we do what we have to do, regardless of the result, we can manage to grow as a team. Our players still have rough edges. But just because our opponent is a strong team, I don't think they will be defeatist."