Argentina boss Diego Maradona has heaped praise on his players following their brilliant performance to defeat South Korea 4-1 on Thursday.

A hat-trick to Gonzalo Higuain guided the Albiceleste to victory but it was the overall performance of the team which caught the eye of Maradona who was delighted after clinching a Round of 16 berth with one group stage match remaining.

"I'd like to commend my players for the job they've done on the pitch," Maradona said. "This shows what we have been training for was right.

"We have discussed certain elements before and they were able to produce that on the pitch. Everything went well.

"Already, we started seeing certain things against Nigeria (1-0 opening win) and this match was more clear. We showed it also by the score.

"I have 23 top players in my squad and they're ready to put on the jersey and work on the pitch. We feel great. We are happy and we have peace of mind."