Celebrations as England head to World Cup

England supporters can now look forward to another World Cup. Their 5-1 win over Croatia was the perfect way to win their eighth straight qualifier and book their place at South Africa 2010.

Wayne Rooney celebrates with teammates Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard

For once, almost 90,000 fans streamed out of the stadium buzzing. This time, there were no niggling doubts, there was nothing to complain about.

They'd just witnessed England completely dominate and demolish Croatia to reach the World Cup finals - the same team that had stopped them getting to Euro 2008 not so long ago. Sweet revenge? You bet.

Matt from Worthing was so excited he even missed his train from the stadium to speak to Newsbeat afterwards.

Carly from Milton Keynes described it as "fab and cool" as she hadn't seen a football match in ages - good one to pick then, Carly. You got a real treat.

'Real leader'

The performance truly capped a virtually flawless campaign from England. When Steve McClaren left two years ago, they were in a mess.

Capello shares a moment with Beckham and Terry

Fabio Capello had no track record in international football but England now have a leader who's guided them to a major tournament with a perfect record, and with two games to spare.

The fans were cooing over the performances of Aaron Lennon and Frank Lampard in particular.

Lennon put pressure on Theo Walcott for that place on the right wing with another rampaging display.

Lampard apparently couldn't play alongside Steven Gerrard and yet they both scored twice. England were defensively solid too.

Make no mistake, this was a poor display from Croatia, who were nowhere near the same side as two years ago.

'No complacency'

They offered very little threat going forward and at times they gave England's midfield so much space, it's as if they were inviting Rooney to run into space and take pot shots.

But the signs are good. There's new confidence and discipline in the ranks, everyone knows their role, there's no complacency even among the regulars or the big names.

Lennon gets one past Croatia's goalkeeper Vedran Runje

Reputation counts for nothing - that is the power of Capello and the respect he demands.

And despite him being Italian, it's not dull football, either. England's pressing game suits them and with that mixture of pace and patience in the team now, the balance finally seems right.

Tom from London said the 5-1 win was a good message to send to the other sides they'll be up against in South Africa next year - the likes of Brazil and Germany.

Some of the other big guns might not even get there - France are struggling to qualify, the Czechs are in trouble, even Argentina might have to scrape through the play-offs. England won't mind that one bit.

The fans shouldn't get ahead of themselves, though. At both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup England were touted as possible winners and yet they lost agonisingly on penalties to Portugal in the quarter-finals on both occasions.

This time at least they appear in better shape, with the natural talent and the mental strength to maybe get past the last eight. Maybe.