Virgin Media's Darren Beach was watching as England boosted their World Cup chances with an astonishing 4-1 win over Croatia.

 

 

 

 

 

More World Cup features:
- England v Croatia - how it happened
- Great England hat-tricks
- England player ratings
- Capello praises Walcott
- Home Nations reports
- What the papers say

Read our minute-by-minute blog of the England match below:

90 - It's over - and England have won 4-1 !!!

The first away side ever to win a competitive international in Croatia, a massive boost to England's nascent World Cup qualification campaign, and a legendary start to Theo Walcott's career as an international football superstar.

88 - It's a barely believable scoreline, but England have utterly deserved it. Croatia are a superb team but have been totally outplayed. Good news for England is also that Joe Cole is smiling mischievously on the bench after his worrying head injury a while back.

83 - Theo Walcott goes off to a standing ovation, to be replaced by David Beckham in the latest of his five-minute cameos designed no doubt to help him break Peter Shilton's record appearance total.

81 - GOAL!!!! HAT-TRICK FOR WALCOTT!!!! A brilliant, composed finish from the teenager gives England a barely credible 4-1 lead. It's like Munich 2001 all over again. All we need now is Heskey to score and Motty to say something daft. Croatia 1-4 England.

77 - GOAL! Croatia pull one back thanks to the substitute Mandzukic, slotting him and beating James despite Srna looking to have fouled our brave captain John Terry, poor lamb. Surely it's too late for ten-man Croatia though? Croatia 1-3 England

72 - Croatia escape a fourth so narrowly - Lampard slams home magnificently that Heskey committed a foul in the build-up. A real shame, as it was a brilliant strike.

Scotland have won in Iceland - 2-1. See how it went (and also Wales and Ireland) HERE.

64 - Who would have believed it? Three goals in Zagreb - and a goal in England colours for Wazza to boot.

62 - OMG IT'S THREE-NIL!!!!  Wayne Rooney 'passes' it home, dummying magnificently, after Jermaine Jenas finds him superbly once Ashley Cole robbed the Croatians of the ball on the left-hand touchline. Croatia 0-3 England

58 - FANTASTIC GOAL FROM WALCOTT!!!! England lead 2-0!!!! And a star is born in Zagreb. Walcott belts in an angled shot from a similar position to his first goal after a superb roony lay-off following a sparkling move. This is an England we haven't seen for a long, long time. Croatia 0-2 England

53 - A straight red for Croatia's Robert Kovac!! He jumped for a header with Joe Cole, who is now out cold on the floor, and led with what can only be described as a wrestling-style forearm smash. Croatia down to ten men. And Cole will have to go off - replaced by Jermaine Jenas. Was it a malicious challenge? The Croats don't think so, but it didn't half look gruesome.

50 - Lampard and then Heskey go close - England may well need the insurance of a second before they can relax.

Penalty in Iceland - and it's not good for Scotland. Stephen McManus is off for a handball, and Eidar Gudjohnsen slots home the spot-kick - Iceland 1-2 Scotland.

48 - Croatia look frustrated already. Is this the typical Balkan self-imploding mentality?

46 - Under way again.

45 - HALF-TIME: CROATIA 0-1 ENGLAND

John from t/wells says: its so nice to see that our national game is not being shown on real tv how lucky we are ,,NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with you John - it's ridiculous that none of the terrestrial channels could be bothered to bid to show this match.

Want something to do during half time? How about these:
- Sign-up for Virgin Media's free newsletter
- Join our FREE fantasy football game
- Bet on football right now

Or have your say on this article by posting a comment at the foot of the page.

44 - Still defending to do for England- Rakitic felled in a dangerous position, Beckhamesque dare I say.. The 20-year-old from Schalke 04 takes it himself but sprays it over the bar.

GOAL IN ICELAND.... Scotland go 2-0 up! Celtic's Barry Robson slots home the rebound after James McFadden's penalty is saved. Good on yer George Burley and co.

41 - Another Croatia free-kick is blocked - England working hard and defending well.

How much more does Simunic have to do before he's sent off? This time it's the slightly bigger-than-Walcott Emile Heskey he manages to poleaxe without punishment.

38 - Walcott breaks through again and is clattered by Simunic - this time the Aussie-born defender is booked. But will he be booked three times tonight? In any case, Walcott is floored and does NOT look in a good way right now.

37 - England looking really comfortable, touch wood. Moving the ball around with confidence, slowing the game down - why,. it's as if they were almost Italian-like at times!

31 - Croatia have never ever lost a competitive international at home. Could that be about to change tonight? Here's how Croatia-England clashes have gone in the past.

28 - James punches weakly... Mladen Petric shoots but it's blocked.

27 - Walcott shoots again, from almost the same place, but this time 'Michael' Stipe Pletikosa gets down well to push it away.

25 - GOAL!!!!! England have scored!! Theo Walcott finishes marvellously from the right side of the box, hard and low past Pletikosa after a deflection fell nicely for him. Well well well! Walcott has easily been the pick of England's players so far .Croatia 0-1 England.

22 - Heskey hauled down by Simunic but the ref has nothing of it. Looked like a nailed-on pen to me, I have to say.

18 - Srna's cross is nodded behind for a corner by Terry - England look quite vulnerable on the wings.

15 - A Cole (A) slip lets in Ivica Olic but the big lad shoots poorly - very lucky for Mr Tweedy and England.

AND ELSEWHERE... Scotland are leading in Iceland, thanks to a Kirk Broadfoot header from a Barry Robson corner. Boy, do they need a win. No score at Windsor Park between N Ireland and Czech Republic. For today's non-England match news and reports go to this England-free zone.

13 - Croatia have sc...no they haven't. A corner is mishandled by James and Vedran Corluka whacks it into the side netting. Bit of a let off there perhaps.

11 - Modric has a shot blocked.

9 - Free-kick to England: Lampard curls it in to the big lads but no-one can get a head on it.

8 - Lots of possession from England, rather impressive actually. Rooney playing a lot more upfield than of late.

6 - Corner to England after a Lampard free-kick is deflected - headed away by Josip 'three yellows' Simunic.

5 - Pranjic shot - saved by David James. Set up nicely by Luka Modric - he's going to be a real danger.

4  - Free-kick to England, not a lot happens. The attackers are very lonely in these early skirmishes.

2 - Niko Kovac and Joe Cole in an early tussle - the refs having a word.

0 - and we're off!

The two teams are out - national anthems are being played.. lovely, isn't it.

In other matches tonight... an amazing match in Helsinki, where Germany have twice equalised against Finland to leave it 2-2 and it's only half-time. Rep of Ireland drew 0-0 in Montenegro - four points from two away games is a fair return.

Andorra have scored! I bet that won't happen too often in this campaign. A Marc Pujol penalty has put them level against Belarus (or, as the English papers will no doubt call them in October, 'Aleksandr Hleb's Belarus').

It's not been great news tonight if you're Welsh - a late goal from Pavel Pogrebnyak consigned Wales to a 2-1 defeat in Moscow that included a missed penalty from Gareth Bale.

7pm: AND HERE'S THE ENGLAND TEAM TO FACE CROATIA!
James, Brown, Terry, Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Walcott, Lampard, Barry, Joe Cole, Rooney, Heskey. Subs: Robinson, Johnson, Beckham, Downing, Defoe, Upson, Jenas. 

Croatia will line up as follows:  Pletikosa, Simunic, Robert Kovac, Corluka, Pranjic, Rakitic, Petric, Nico Kovac, Srna, Modric, Olic. Subs: Runje, Krizanac, Mandzukic, Pokrivac, Knezevic, Leko, Klasnic.

No real surprises there other than maybe Theo Walcott given the chance to continue - it's hardly a shock that Cole (J) has been preferred to Stewart Downing or that the newly-superb Emile Heskey gets in ahead of Jermain Defoe.

VM Sport's prediction: Croatia to win 2-1. Gulp.

Our own top pundit Big Mac, alias John McCririck, thinks England may get a pasting tonight - watch him give his opinions and predictions HERE. 

Good evening from your host Darren Beach, and welcome to Virgin Media Sport's live coverage of England's crucial World Cup qualifying match at the Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb as they face their nemesis from the doomed Euro 2008 campaign - Slaven Bilic's stylish Croatia side.

Get FREE match highlights on Virgin Media Sport:
- Barclays Premier League highlights
- Coca Cola Championship highlights
- Coca Cola League One highlights
- Coca Cola League Two highlights

More great features on Virgin Media Sport:
- Sign-up for Virgin Media's free newsletter
- Join our FREE fantasy football game
- Bet on football right now

Have your say on this article by posting a comment below: