ZAGREB, Croatia(AP) Theo Walcott scored a hat trick and Wayne Rooney ended his international scoring drought as England beat Croatia 4-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, avenging two recent defeats against the Balkan nation.
"We played well, like a team and without problems," England coach Fabio Capello said. "But, this is only one victory, a good performance and nothing else."
Walcott gave England the lead in the 26th minute, taking advantage of a botched clearance from Danijel Pranjic that hit teammate Josip Simunic before falling to the Arsenal forward, who scored with a low shot from a tight angle.