Walcott hat-trick as England humble Croatia

(CNN) -- England took revenge for their Euro 2008 exit by humbling 10-man Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb with Theo Walcott scoring a magnificent hat-trick.

England went into the Group Six qualifier off the back of a lackluster 2-0 win over Andorra, but defied their critics with an outstanding performance as Walcott repaid the faith put in him by coach Fabio Capello.

"He is young, he is a dangerous player for defenders. I am happy for Theo. You have to decide, choose one from two, and I chose right this time," said Capello after triumph.

As well as preferring Walcott to David Beckham, Capello opted for an attacking lineup with Emile Heskey partnering Wayne Rooney up front and the young Arsenal winger and Joe Cole supporting from each flank.

Walcott's opener came in the 25th minute, his first for England, as he capitalized on a clearance by Danijel Pranjic which came off a teammate straight into his path.

Walcott burst forward and slipped the ball home rather than pass to Cole in the middle.

Croatia could make little impression and their cause was further hindered in the 53rd minute as defender Robert Kovac was sent off for elbowing Cole who was left with blood streaming from a cut and had to be substituted.

The decision appeared harsh, but England were ruthless in taking advantage against 10-men, Walcott scoring his second just after the hour mark.

The excellent Rooney surged towards the penalty area before exchanging passes with Heskey and then slipping the ball to Walcott who fired precisely into the far corner.

England were quickly 3-0 up in the 64th minute as full-back Ashley Cole won the ball and sent substitute Jermaine Jenas down the left flank.

Rooney met Jenas' low cross with a finish that found the bottom corner, his first England goal since the defeat in Russia last October.

Frank Lampard had what appeared a legitimate fourth goal ruled out before Croatia gained some consolation as Darijo Srna beat England captain John Terry to the ball with a high foot.

As Terry lay protesting, Sma broke forward to set up Mario Mandzukic for the low finish.

England then scored a deserved fourth with Walcott completing his hat-trick after being played in by Rooney.

It was Croatia's first home defeat in a competitive match for 14 years and a measure of redemption for England who had lost 2-0 to Slaven Bilic's men in the same stadium a year ago and 3-2 at Wembley to miss out on the European Championships.

Earlier, Ukraine beat Kazakhstan 3-1 to gain achieve their second win in the group, with Andriy Shevchenko scoring the second.