Seven goals in Rijeka: the heaviest defeat in Croatia's history

Croatia - England 0:7 is a scoreline they won't forget in Rijeka any time soon - and it happened at home. Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 8th minute, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka added three more before the break, Kane made it 5:0 in the 50th minute, Saka struck again in the 68th, and substitute Morgan Rogers closed the account. This is the heaviest defeat in the history of the Croatian national team, and in the Nations League, not a friendly. Kane became the first Englishman to score at least ten goals in three different calendar years, and England equalled a 59-year-old record. For years Croatia was the proof that a small country from this part of Europe can play in a World Cup final. What is that glory worth when one night wipes it out like this?

City contest the verdict on 114 breaches - and their chairman was at Downing Street 11 days before it

An independent commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 charges of financial breaches from the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons: sham commercial deals, revenues and costs "dressed up" by more than 900 million pounds, and broken spending limits. The club lodged its appeal a day before the deadline, claiming the verdict contains "clear material errors of law, principle and fact". The hearing must be held within 12 weeks and the decision delivered 30 days after it, while the sanctions have yet to be set. Meanwhile it emerged that chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak met Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on 14 September, 11 days before the verdict, officially as head of Abu Dhabi's sovereign fund Mubadala. Nobody claims the case was discussed. But when the British prime minister publicly worries about losing the club's Emirati ownership, how independent is justice in football really?

Roma wait for Endrick: four minutes at Real are too few for such a talent

Roma are close to a deal to take Endrick on loan in January, the Italian press reports, on terms that could favour the Roman club. The Brazilian has played a total of four minutes for Real Madrid this season, while on loan at Lyon in the second half of last season he had 8 goals and 8 assists in 21 matches. Milan are interested too and have excellent relations with Florentino Pérez, but the player reportedly prefers Roma. The Romans haven't won a title since 2001 and are looking for a striker who will bring them goals, not just headlines. Transfer rumours are rumours until a contract is signed. But the figure of four minutes is no rumour.

Macedonia - Scotland 0:2: the national team can't score for seven games running

At the Todor Proeski arena, Scotland took the lead as early as the 7th minute, when Kieron Bowie shot from distance and Stole Dimitrievski had no chance. Head coach Goce Sedloski took off Stankovski and Herrera after just half an hour and brought on Džekov and Atanasov, with no visible change. In the second half, after a VAR check, the referee awarded a penalty for handball by Miovski, and McGinn set the final score. Scotland were reduced to ten men late on after McKenna's rough challenge on Elezi, but even with a man advantage we found no way into the net. This is a third defeat in three games in League B of the Nations League, and with Sedloski on the bench the national team has gone seven games without scoring. "We played in a panic and conceded that first goal... it hurts," said the coach, and Visar Musliu was even more direct: "It can't go on like this." What the world's media picked up most was the dog that ran onto the pitch. Next up is an away game against Switzerland in Lucerne. Who will answer for it if the run continues there too?

Besart Ibraimi kits out an entire team at the club where he started

The all-time top scorer of the Macedonian First League, record-holder with 230 goals Besart Ibraimi, provided new sports kit for his home club Vlazrimi 1977 from Kičevo, where more than two decades ago he took his first steps in football. Every player got two sets, one for matches and one for training. The Shkëndija striker didn't want to boast about the gesture, so we only found out when the club publicly thanked him. "At a time when the challenges are many, gestures like this mean an enormous amount," Vlazrimi said. In days when the national team can't score, the best football news from Macedonia came from a man who knows what a club means off the pitch too.