Diego Maradona was much more sedate after witnessing his Argentina team dismantle South Korea 4-1 at Soccer City, instead lavishing praise upon his players.

The Albiceleste coach, who on Wednesday took a swipe at fellow legends Pele and Michel Platini, even took the time to apologise to the UEFA president for his comments. And Maradona had reason to be happy after the South Americans' dominant display, which saw Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain bag a hat-trick.

"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."