Argentina may have the best team and fans at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.  The players in blue and white pinstripes peppered the South Korean goal in a 4-1 win on Thursday at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.  Fans of the “Maradonians,” the nickname given to the squad coached by football legend Diego Maradona, have been in full force at every setting during this tournament and the constant celebration of their brilliant team continued all throughout Thursday’s game.

In group play, the other football giants have been sleeping: France has a measly one point after being embarrassed by Mexico, England played flat in a draw against the U.S., Brazil did not show their normal championship form against North Korea and Spain dropped a shocking game to Switzerland.

Though, as another favorite to make a deep run, Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 in their first game and Gonzalo Higuain’s hat-trick, the first at the World Cup since 2002, sparked the team to a dominant victory against a good South Korean team.

I sat smack in the middle of a sea of blue and white.  Argentines, wearing blue and white afro wigs and painted up in their team colors, incessantly sang countless different songs.  They rose to their feet on almost every relevant occasion.

From the beginning, Argentina fans cheered loudly as they knew the onslaught was on and was never going to stop.  Runs by stars Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez set the tone, and it did not take long for this stacked team to strike first.  Messi’s cross in the 17^th minute led to an own goal by Park Chu-young of South Korea.

Argentines danced, chanted – they could feel something special brewing at this World Cup.  Maradona stalked the sideline below hundreds of posters and banners that praised his name like a saint.

Argentina continued to move the ball on a string and dashed through every opening on the pitch.  Shots rang wide of the goal all throughout the first half.   One Argentine stood up and yelled, “This is Argentina football!”

Then, on a free kick, Maxi Rodriguez crossed to Burdisso who headed the ball perfectly to Higuan for the second goal of the game.  Argentines’ eyes opened wide with enthusiastic shock as they witnessed the magic before them.

However, 90 minutes of World Cup action proves again and again that the entire game can be changed in an instant.  Lee Chung-yong fortuitously stole the ball at the ’18 line and chipped in a goal right before half.  The other side of the stadium rumbled – South Koreans went crazy, banging on their drums.

The Argentines’ boisterous passion turned into nervous shivering in the cold - but only temporarily.   Higuan’s special day continued when Messi’s second shot by the corner of the goal almost impossibly deflected in the goal off the post.  Higuan rushed in cleaned up to make it 3-1.

The stadium roared and the flood gates opened when Higuan stabbed a header past the battered South Korean keeper Jung-Sung Ryung to make it 4-1.  Argentines jubilantly waved their blue and white, fabric top hats in the air to celebrate a rare World Cup hat trick.  Argentina seemed like they were here to take the tournament by rush.

Last week, at the fan park, in Pretoria, during a dull, irrelevant moment, about a hundred Argentines rambunctiously danced and sang in a circled mob.  Everyone around could tell that Argentina came from all the way from South America to make a huge presence.

Their team certainly delivered on Thursday, and there seems to be no question that the fans of the “Maradonians” make the best World Cup game atmosphere.