England romped to a 5-1 victory over Croatia last night and became one of the first teams to book their place in South Africa next summer. In a match that looked traditionally tricky for England to win, the new Capello generation sent shock waves around the world as both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard got braces and Wayne Rooney scored for good measure.

It was one of the most dominant displays in recent memory by an England side, as every thing seemed to click from the very first minute. The match had been fired up before hand when Croatian coach, Slaven Bilic, said that England were a mediocre side and would never amount to any thing in the modern day.

Well he was made to eat his words as England never looked under real threat. Fabio Capello will be disappointed that his side gave a goal away but will be encouraged by the over all display. He said: “All the players in the squad who have been selected are really good. I hope that some of these players will not be injured. This is most important for me. The first target is reached as we had to get to South Africa, and now we have time to prepare for the World Cup.”

“The expectation around the England team is always the same, really high, but we have to play to win because we are England. We are one of the best teams in the world who can play against all the teams out there. We have to play always with the spirit we played this evening.”

“I’m pleased with the spirit of the group and their concentration in nearly every moment of the game. The play was sharp in every moment, both when we had the ball and when we didn’t. I never thought it would be easy, but I think that the forwards and the midfielders in this team are really, really good.”

Capello seems to have created a team that can genuinely rival any side in Europe and the world. The only time they have lost is in a pointless friendly when the players clearly have not been up for the occasion. By the time South Africa arrives, if you put England and Spain together it will be a completely different story and the likes of Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta would probably be kicked up in the air and bullied before the match had even kicked off.