Five games without a goal: Macedonia head to Ljubljana firing blanks

Switzerland came to the "Toše Proeski" National Arena and left with a 3:0 win: Remo Freuler in the 22nd minute, Zeki Amdouni in the 41st and 74th. That's a fifth straight game without a Macedonian goal - 450 minutes and a goal difference of 0:11 over that stretch. The last goal came from Bojan Miovski on 18 November 2025, in a 1:7 defeat in Cardiff, and the last win was on 7 September 2025, 5:0 against Liechtenstein. In the entire round, only Macedonia and San Marino failed to put a single shot on target. Head coach Goce Sedloski says no better national team has ever played in Skopje, but that doesn't explain zero shots. On Tuesday it's Slovenia at the Stožice, with Italian referee Andrea Colombo, and Slovenian striker Aljoša Matko has already said: "We're going for three points against the Macedonians." When the opponent announces the win out loud, what will the team say besides "we have to improve"?

City guilty on 114 of 115 charges - and the chairman says nothing has changed

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League charges of breaching financial rules. The punishment is still to be decided, and an appeal is expected. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak wrote to fans that the club's confidence in proving its innocence is "as strong as when this all began", and admitted that even that letter had been through a legal check. The media are talking about a record points deduction, relegation and stripped trophies, and Premier League clubs are already exploring legal action against City. The verdict says 114; the club says "the process still has a long way to go" - how many years will pass before anyone actually pays?

Iloski: a hat-trick for Philadelphia, and a clear message about the shirt

While Macedonia couldn't get a shot on target, Milan Iloski scored three goals in 40 minutes. Philadelphia Union beat Orlando City 4:0 at Subaru Park, with Iloski scoring from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, again in the 19th, and completing the hat-trick in the 51st. With 16 goals he is fourth in the MLS scoring charts, behind Lionel Messi on 20. The California-born striker of Macedonian descent turned down Sedloski's call-up a few days earlier, and after the game he cleared up any doubt: "In the future I see myself as part of the US national team. I love this country and it would be a great honour for me to represent it." Zero shots on target at home, a hat-trick in America for another shirt - will anyone at the Federation ask what could have been done differently?

Yamal after two minutes, Kane hits the bar: Spain conquer Wembley

England opened their Nations League campaign with a 2:3 defeat to Spain at Wembley. Lamine Yamal took the ball off Marc Guéhi and scored before the second minute - the third-fastest goal England have ever conceded at their own stadium. Anthony Gordon equalised, and Harry Kane put the hosts ahead after a deflection off Cucurella. In the 52nd minute Kane had a penalty to make it 3:1 and hit the bar. Then Álex Baena equalised after an error by Nico O'Reilly, and his pass was converted by Mikel Oyarzabal with a lob over Trafford. England play Czechia on Tuesday, with that penalty still ringing off the crossbar.

Ronaldo on the bench for the whole game, for the first time in 6,678 days

Portugal won 2:1 against Norway in Oslo, but the headlines went to the man who didn't play. Cristiano Ronaldo watched the entire match from the bench, for the first time in 6,678 days, even though coach Jorge Jesus had told him before the game that he would play. "He was ready to play, but it wasn't his moment. I needed a player with different characteristics," Jesus explained. After the final whistle, the 41-year-old captain went down the tunnel without acknowledging the fans, and the coach said he would talk to him. The all-time top scorer on the bench, and the coach publicly defending the choice - is Portugal finally learning to play without Ronaldo, or is this just a pause before Denmark?