Walcott on song as England stuns Croatia

LONDON: Teenager Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick as England beat Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb on Wednesday to avenge the two defeats that cost it a place at Euro 2008.
Miroslav Klose also hit a hat-trick for Germany but his goals only salvaged a 3-3 draw for a side which was just seven minutes from losing to Finland for the first time in 85 years.
Most of the other teams expected to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa came through the second round of qualifiers in five days unscathed. World champion Italy beat Georgia 2-0 in Udine and World Cup runner-up France beat Serbia 2-1 in Paris.
European champion Spain maintained its perfect start in Group 5 with a 4-0 win over Armenia in Albacete.