The first hat-trick of the World Cup finals from Gonzalo Higuain carried Argentina to a convincing 4-1 victory over South Korea on Thursday, putting the South Americans within touching distance of the last 16. The 1978 and 1986 world champions got an early lead when Korean defender Park Chu-young turned the ball into his own net in the 17th minute and Higuain struck his first 16 minutes later. South Korea pulled one back on the stroke of halftime through Lee Chung-yong but young striker Higuain scored again in the 76th minute when he tapped in after Lionel Messi's shot hit the post and completed his hat-trick four minutes later. Argentina lead Group B with six points from two games with South Korea on three. If Greece fail to beat Nigeria in the other Group B game later on Thursday in Bloemfontein, Argentina would qualify for the second round before their final game.
