Graphic: Theo Walcott takes wing

On a night when Theo Walcott came of age with an unforgettable hat-trick and Fabio Capello showed why the Football Association pays him £6 million a year, England made history with a hugely impressive 4-1 victory over Croatia to take a significant step towards the 2010 World Cup finals and restore some lost faith in the national team.

England have endured some wretched evenings in recent years, not least against Croatia, but this magnificent victory in the hostile Maksimir Stadium, thanks to Walcott’s hat-trick and a goal from Wayne Rooney, was their most startling result since a 5-1 win away to Germany in September 2001 in the early months of Sven-Göran Eriksson’s regime. It was Croatia’s first defeat in 36 competitive matches on home soil since 1994.

It was an evening that Walcott, 19, will never forget as he scored three times to vindicate Capello’s decision to select him, rather than David Beckham, on the right wing.

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I will retain the hope that Walcott will become a wonderful player, who will ignite England at the World Cup in South Africa

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BACKGROUND

• Walcott does the trick for England

• Walcott ready for life in spotlight

• Capello rewarded for throwing caution to wind

• How the England players rated in Zagreb

Related Links

• Football world hails Walcott

Multimedia

• What now for Gerrard, Owen and Beckham?

• How England's incredible win unfolded

• Graphic: Theo Walcott takes wing

The Arsenal teenager has had some frustrating times after he was a surprise inclusion in Eriksson’s squad for the 2006 World Cup finals, but his superbly taken goals and fearless performance have established him as an England player, as Beckham appeared to acknowledge with a congratulatory handshake when replacing him with six minutes left.

Walcott joked that he had been “greedy” in shooting, rather than passing, for his first two goals and he was in modest mood as he left the stadium with the match ball. “It’s brilliant,” he said. “I’m grateful the manager has given me the opportunity. But it wasn’t just me, the whole team were stars.”

Capello was similarly keen to praise the entire team rather than an individual, but he agreed that Walcott could become world class if he is allowed to develop in the right way. “He’s very interesting, very young,” the Italian said. “I decided to pick him because he was in a fantastic moment psychologically and physically. When he plays like this, he’s fantastic, but when he plays not so good, we have to support him. He’s only young.”

Croatia had no answer to the pace and penetration of Walcott, who put England ahead in the 26th minute and doubled their advantage early in the second half with another crisp right-foot finish. Rooney soon made it 3-0 with his first international goal for 11 months.

By that time, Joe Cole had left the fray with a bloodied head, having been caught by the arm of Robert Kovac, the Croatia defender, who was sent off. Croatia reduced the arrears through Mario Mandzukic with 12 minutes remaining, but Walcott completed his treble soon afterwards.

This victory, coming four days after a more perfunctory 2-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona, puts England in a commanding position in group six, ahead of Ukraine at the top on goal difference, but Capello, ever the perfectionist, gave warning of potential pitfalls ahead. “We have only just begun,” the manager said. “This was only the second game of the campaign. It was a good performance, a good result, but it’s only one victory.”

The one sour note of the evening was the racial abuse directed at Emile Heskey by some Croatia supporters in the second half, an incident that is likely to be reported to Fifa, football’s world governing body. “All you can do is ignore it and get on with your game,” the Wigan Athletic forward said. “It is for other people to deal with it.”