Croatia v England buildup; tempers flare at Ireland v Israel press conference – as it happened | Nations League

Scott Murray is on board to bring you coverage of Croatia v England, and that concludes today’s matchday live blog. Back tomorrow.

Not long now until that England match in Rijeka, where Jarrell Quansah is expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Thomas Tuchel had this to say on the question of Trent, who made his first start at right-back for England in Czechia since 2024.

“Once you are in camp it’s a big opportunity if other players are not here. You can impress and mark your territory and show his true capacity that no one’s doubting. It’s just not isolated about the position.

“Trent is a unique player. He is not a runner, he is not someone who runs through the last line, who does overlaps, underlaps. I think in combination with Bukayo Saka, Bukayo is normally used to a lot of movements around him. That brings normally the best out of Bukayo. They need also to find a way to not be too static.

“That’s maybe the challenge for Trent: to buy a little bit into a new idea and a bit out of his comfort zone. But he’s trying and it’s never too late to prove a point. It is a bit of a strange one. So much competition and no one is like the one guy to play, because of injuries or because people cannot be available.”

That’s a full-time score in the WSL: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool.

We’re into the latter stages in the WSL, where Manchester United are beating Liverpool 1-0, via an early goal from Julia Zigiotti Olme.

In League Two, it’s finished Chesterfield 4-2 Tranmere. Almost time for the 3pms.

• Accrington Stanley v Cheltenham Town

• Crewe Alexandra v Bristol Rovers

• Exeter City v Rotherham United

• Gillingham v Newport County

• Grimsby Town v Shrewsbury Town

• Rochdale v Swindon Town

• Salford City v Fleetwood Town

Kari Tulinius gets in touch: “I’m taking my 7-year-old daughter to Finland v Albania. Or rather, she’s taking me, as she won two tickets in a raffle. It’s also righting a historical wrong, as far as she’s concerned, because she’s not forgotten that last year I took her older brother to a watch the Finnish national team play, and not her. It’s also my first match supporting the Eagle Owls as a citizen of Finland, so a big day all around in my household. Tsemppiä Huuhkajat!”

The Turkish Football Federation is working to shake up its refereeing oversight body after its top official was jailed pending trial on graft charges, report AFP.

Ferhat Gundogdu, who heads the Central Referees Committee (MHK), and six other referee officials appeared in court Friday on suspicion of manipulating the referee administration process. The judge placed Gundogdu and four others in pre-trial detention, while granting the two other officials conditional release.

“In light of these developments, work is ongoing to form a new Central Referees Committee,” the TFF said in a statement on its website, its first comment on the arrests, which happened on Tuesday.

The seven accused face charges that include “official document forgery”, “breach of trust” and “illegal acquisition of personal data”.

The scandal came exactly a year after the TFF suspended 149 referees on charges of illegal betting.

Marc Cucurella, speaking at the Spain press conference, on the subject of the Ballon D’or: “If I had to vote for myself, I would vote for myself.”

Spain play Czechia later tonight.

More detail on that stormy Ireland press conference via the Press Association: “There was a request from the Irish press officer to keep the line of inquiry to “football questions”, and Hallgrimsson took a question about Finn Azaz’s availability.

“A different Israeli journalist said “your players called our players monkeys” – an accusation the Irish press officer said was “completely untrue”, before he ended the press conference as shouting continued.

“FAI representatives requested the Israel press leave a subsequent embargoed media opportunity with Hallgrimsson – intended for Irish press only – in a seating area outside the room, sparking another confrontation. A solution was eventually found to hold the briefing elsewhere in the building.”

This story is opening up way beyond mere football governance.

Emirati officials said “the Premier League’s actions” would “have an influence on the bilateral state relationship”, according to Bloomberg. Elsewhere, the Telegraph said the UAE is threatening to withdraw a multi-billion pound investment into a Silicon Valley-style Oxbridge tech hub.

The Premier League brought 115 charges against Man City for breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018. Of those charges, 114 were upheld by an independent commission in September, which described City’s activities as a “sham” multiple times, adding that their witnesses used at the hearing were “dishonest.”

The FAI is continuing to investigate allegations that Irish players Adam Idah and James Abankwah were racially abused in Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Israelis in Hungary.

“It just goes to a ⁠process both in our departments and then UEFA to look at,” Hallgrimsson said. “I think it ​was something that was reported from both ​teams. I just hope that we can ​focus on football and that football will be the winner after this.

“I think all the challenges that this team has gone through, all the criticism, yeah, I think just surviving as a group after this game, that will be a big win for me and for this group, (and) for the (football) association.”

Last week’s Republic of Ireland v Israel game was a stormy affair, both pre-match and post-match. The calmest bit was the game being played, where Ireland won 3-0 very easily. They meet again on Sunday in Serbia and the preliminaries have again been stormy.

Via the Irish Independent’s Dan McDonnell on X: “Ireland press conference in Serbia cut short after FAI shut down questions from Israeli media related to the flydubai hijack and then a racism allegation directed at an Irish player which has been strongly refuted by the FAI. Some angry scenes in the room and afterwards.”

And the Irish Times’ Gavin Cooney: “Chaotic scenes at Ireland press conference. An Israeli journalist makes an allegation against Irish players which FAI press officer rejects, cutting short the press conference. Led to angry verbal confrontations within the room and again outside…as the FAI attempted to continue with an interview of Hallgrimsson for the Irish media present. It was eventually concluded elsewhere in the stadium.”

Quote from Heimir Hallgrimsson, the Ireland coach: “Surviving this camp and coming out of this together would be a massive win for me. That is coming from my heart.”

A re-up for this from Barney Ronay. Including the priceless line: “Andy, you’re the actual prime minister. This isn’t an Everton message board.”

Good afternoon, football. Thanks, Dave. An afternoon of City and England chat? Yeah, probably.

That’s my stint done. Time for fresh legs. Here comes John Brewin, a genuine game changer at his best.

Some Opta stats ahead of Croatia v England at 5pm (BST).

• Since beating England in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, Croatia are winless in all four of their meetings with the Three Lions (D1 L3), including two Nations League fixtures in 2018 (0-0 home, 1-2 away).

• England have won five of their last seven matches against Croatia in all competitions (D1 L1), dating back to the 3-2 defeat in 2007 that cost them qualification for Euro 2008.

• The Three Lions have scored at least four goals in three of those wins, triumphing 4-1 in September 2008, 5-1 in September 2009 and 4-2 in their opening group stage clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup four months ago.

• England have won their last eight away games in all competitions, and another victory would see them match their all-time record, set under Sir Alf Ramsey in 1967.

An update from our earlier story. Rui Pinto, whose leaks helped to trigger the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City’s financial affairs, is prepared to help authorities in the UK with their legal case in exchange for protection from threats, the Guardian understands.

Here’s the exclusive from Miguel Dantas.

England’s group stage win over Croatia was one of the highs of their World Cup campaign. Despite all the moaning about missed opportunities and style, I still think finishing third in a World Cup in the Americas was a pretty fine effort by Thomas Tuchel and his squad. I think we’re all still close to it and obsessed by the detail to appreciate the actual bottom line. Perhaps it just needs time. Anyway, ahead of this evening’s Croatia v England clash, here’s David Hytner’s match report from that 4-2 win for the Three Lions in Dallas.

Michael O’Neill was delighted with his young Northern Ireland side after they stunned Ukraine 3-0 in Slovakia to move clear at the top of Nations League Group B2. Ciaron Brown scored his first two international goals either side of Isaac Price’s first-half header as Northern Ireland delivered a complete performance which can be another key marker in the development of this team.

Besides the 28-year-old Brown every player who started was 24 or younger, with this Northern Ireland’s youngest post-war starting eleven with an average age of just 22.

But they showed no fear playing away to a side ranked 37 places ahead of them in the world as they made it back-to-back away wins in this group, still yet to concede after their opening three matches.

Brown prodded in his first nine minutes in and, after Price headed in a cross from teenager Kieran Morrison, got his second in bizarre fashion just after the hour as Ukraine goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk let an intended flick on through his legs.

“It’s a great result for us, a great performance,” O’Neill said. “The early goal helps settle us into the game. “The second goal was a brilliant goal. We worked it the length of the pitch. We were patient. We could have crossed it early but that allowed us to get more men in the box and it’s a brilliant header from Isaac.

“The third goal is fortuitous but it’s a mistake by the opposition so we have to capitalise on that, but I thought throughout our performance was brilliant. We limited the opposition to crosses and shots from outside the box and I thought we defended brilliantly.”

(PA Media)

Let’s celebrate Northern Ireland’s superb 3-0 win against Ukraine last night. Firstly, via the medium of song(s).

1/ The 1982 World Cup song with Eurovision winner Dana.

2/ This banger by Don Fardon from 1970.

Here’s a story of a lost talent – Billy Kenny. This extract from his book, ‘The Goodison Gazza’, focuses on how the midfielder could have ended up at Old Trafford.

The Goodison Gazza is published by Reach Sport on 8 October. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

Less than an hour now until the first League action of the day. That’s Chesterfield v Tranmere which is getting the Sky Sports treatment. Here’s the full League Two programme. All times BST.

12:30 Chesterfield v Tranmere Rovers
15:00 Accrington Stanley v Cheltenham Town
15:00 Crewe Alexandra v Bristol Rovers
15:00 Exeter City v Rotherham United
15:00 Gillingham v Newport County
15:00 Grimsby Town v Shrewsbury Town
15:00 Rochdale v Swindon Town
15:00 Salford City v Fleetwood Town

It’s tight at the top. Barnet don’t play so will surely lose their lead.

Manchester City whistleblower Rui Pinto has revealed he is preparing to leave Portugal because he fears for his safety after being informed that his participation in the country’s witness protection programme has been terminated.

The Football Leaks founder claimed he has received “multiple death threats” and is facing “the serious risk of an assassination attempt against me” after being informed of the decision by Portuguese authorities on Wednesday.

That came two days after Manchester City were found guilty of more than 100 charges by an independent commission – an investigation that was prompted by Pinto’s leaks of thousands of private documents.

Some Nations League team news. Belgium must do without captain Youri Tielemans and midfield talisman Kevin De Bruyne when ⁠they meet France in the Nations League on Monday in a blow to their chances at the Stade de France.

The ⁠pair are suspended after ⁠being cautioned in successive games and have to serve a one-match ban, sitting out the last of four Nations League games ⁠played over a 10-day period in the international window.

De Bruyne was the hero of Belgium’s 3-0 home win over Turkey in Liège ⁠on Friday but picked up a caution late in the game for an outburst after being fouled.

(Reuters)

“It is of course a topic and we speak about it at dinner.” Probably pretty easy to guess what Thomas Tuchel is referring to here. Yes, here’s the England boss on the new series of Celebrity Traitors. Not really.

Got a minute to spare? Why not try our daily Premier League trivia game, On the ball? Every day a star player past or present is hidden behind nine clues. How many will you need to identify them?

I got it after two guesses although there was an element of good fortune.

Danny Myers emails in with a mention of a landmark and some stats.

“Harry Kane is likely to equal Peter Shilton’s all time cap record in the next few days. You obviously can’t compare keepers with strikers in any ‘greatness’ debate. However, here’s a stat.

So, there you have a stat which I’m not sure tells you much but somehow feels impressive. Harry Kane has scored comfortably more goals for England than all the players Shilton faced in his 125 games for England.”

The big one in the WSL this weekend is Man City v Arsenal on Sunday. The table shows Arsenal already seven points behind leaders City and boss Renée Slegers is under mounting pressure after just one win in five matches. Tom Garry sets the scene for the 16:30 BST kick-off.

Just a single game in the WSL today but it’s an intriguing one.

13:30 BST Man Utd Women v Liverpool Women

United have made a stuttering start under new manager Eva Olid, taking just four points from the opening four games. That said, they got their first league win last weekend, a 2–1 success against West Ham.

Liverpool are fifth with seven points and beat Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby at Anfield last weekend. Gareth Taylor’s team are definitely on the up and vastly improved from the side that sat bottom of the table last January.

The head-to-heads still favour United though as Liverpool have won only one of five WSL away games against them. They’ve lost their last three visits to Leigh 9–1 on aggregate.

How best to punish Manchester City? Jonathan Liew goes deep.

These are almost philosophical questions, questions of justice and ethics and morality. Do you decide that the strict imperative is to punish or “cancel” the harm done, as Kant or Hegel might have argued? Do you agree with Durkheim that the point of punishment is not exemplary deterrence but the reinforcement of shared moral values, or with Bentham that the infliction of pain for its own sake simply prolongs the original sin, and that the emphasis should always be on averting future evil? And do any of these scenarios end with Victor Lindelöf lifting a Premier League trophy?

Here’s Sam Cunningham on Raheem Sterling. The former England winger could face a prison term next month after pleading guilty at Basingstoke magistrates court to dangerous driving and possession of nitrous oxide after an incident that witnesses feared might kill someone.

Thomas Tuchel said this when asked about Sterling in Friday’s England press conference: “It’s sad to see that someone struggles, because he was a devoted father for his children and he was a family guy, a nice guy to be around. It just seems that he goes through a difficult period. I’m not sure how much is his fault; sometimes you just enter a strange spiral in your life, a downward spiral. Thoughts are with him of course. The belief is always that he can turn it around.”

Today’s ‘Saturday read’ is David Conn on Manchester City.

At the core of Burnham’s speech was the wrong turn he says Britain took under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, selling off and privatising council housing, water, energy, transport and care. “We built the common good,” he said, but “the common wealth … created for the many was seen as an opportunity for the few.”

He could have been talking about football, too.

Plymouth, by the way, are one of six teams in action in League One today. Most of the fixtures have been postponed due to the international break. All times BST.

15:00 Burton Albion v Huddersfield Town
15:00 Leyton Orient v Plymouth Argyle
15:00 Reading v Bradford City

Here’s the early table. Bradford have the chance to stretch their lead at the top while Plymouth could hit the summit if the Bantams fail to win.

A morning quiz question: which Spurs player has the most goals this season?

The answer is Oliver Irow, on loan at Plymouth: four goals across seven appearances v Tottenham’s two goals in the Premier League after five matches.

The forward only joined Argyle on loan in August but has the best haul of any player contracted to Tottenham in the 2026-27 campaign. Irow made his Plymouth debut the day after he joined and announced himself to the Home Park faithful with a goal in a Carabao Cup loss to Coventry.

The 20-year-old followed it up with a sensational strike against Barnsley before a brace in a 4-2 triumph over Doncaster. London-born Irow was quickly sold on a loan move after a conversation with manager Tom Cleverley as Argyle seek promotion from League One.

In perfect timing, krishnamoorthy v has just dropped this on email.

“Away from the Nations League this evening has a dream come true for many Indians when India hosts Brazil for a friendly in the football-crazy Calcutta (Kolkata to be politically correct). Brazil may find it bewildering to find that the home crowd supports them and not India.”

Time to peruse today’s Nations League fixtures. All times BST:

14:00 Finland v Albania
17:00 Belarus v San Marino
17:00 Croatia v England
17:00 Estonia v Luxembourg
17:00 Iceland v Bulgaria
19:45 North Macedonia v Scotland
19:45 Spain v Czechia
19:45 Switzerland v Slovenia

There are also two Playstation friendlies that are actually happening in real life.

15:00 India v Brazil
16:00 Russia v Namibia

With European nations involved in the Nations League, Brazil seem to have decided to just play teams with Test match cricket status. After back-to-back friendlies against Australia (1-1 draw and 4-2 win), now it’s India. Who next? The West Indies? Pakistan? Bangladesh? New Zealand?

Let’s switch to more grown-up matters. Here’s Matt Hughes on Etihad’s statements on funding appearing to contradict Manchester City’s defence in their appeal against the independent commission’s guilty verdict in more than 100 charges of financial rule breaches.

A key element of City’s appeal, which was confirmed by the club on Friday, is understood to be based on their claim that commercial contracts, which the commission concluded were part-funded by their owner, were in fact paid for by the Abu Dhabi government.

In a 2015 submission to the United States’ department of commerce, transportation and state as part of investigation into state-owned airlines, Etihad described suggestions that the government paid for its sponsorship of the club as “false”.

Bringing a couple of ideas already discussed together, I once attended an England v Northern Ireland schoolboy international as a kid. To this day, I can still hear the squealing wall of sound generated by thousands of children whose voices hadn’t broken. Harrowing.

Despite the belief that Croatia v England is being played behind closed doors, that isn’t quite the case. The match in Rijeka officially has that status due to a Uefa punishment for Croatia following crowd trouble involving their supporters during a Nations League quarter-final against France. However, Uefa’s disciplinary rules include an exception for children up to the age of 14 from schools and/or football academies in the local Rijeka area, who have been invited to the match free of charge.

Uefa had initially anticipated around 3,000 children plus guardians, but the Croatian federation now expects between 5,500 and 6,000. In an 8,200-seat stadium, that puts it somewhere around 70% full.

Add in the 100 England fans allowed to attend and there will be more atmosphere than expected. Perhaps very high-pitched, screechy atmosphere but surely that’s better than eerie silence. Possibly.

Ukraine 0-3 Northern Ireland! Okay, it wasn’t quite up there with John Motson screaming “Armstrong!” after the striker’s goal against Spain in the 1982 World Cup finals (what the heck was Arconada doing parrying the ball straight into his path?) but that was surely one of the great nights for Northern Irish football.

You’ll find the detail in our Nations League round-up which also features:

• Why Kevin De Bruyne’s 127th cap for Belgium went very well indeed

• Frustration for Zinedine Zidane in his first home game as France boss

• A hat-trick for Robert Lewandowski

• A winner from a Liverpool full-back

Those with long memories may recall how England boss Ron Greenwood used to alternate between Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence on a match by match basis in the late 1970s and early 80s. Are we seeing something similar with Jordan Pickford and James Trafford? They’re getting two games each in this quickfire round of Nations League fixtures and Pickford is in goal for the first of his pair against Croatia later today.

Here’s Jacob Steinberg on the battle for the England No 1 jersey. Is Thomas Tuchel being smart in hedging his bets?

Let’s go to the the very top and see what Barney Ronay has to say about Andy Burnham. BR ponders whether the PM’s contortions over the Manchester City verdicts have landed him with an early test of what he wants to stand for. Realpolitik, or real values?

Good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! While the Premier League takes a back seat once more, the football headlines continues to flash hard due to the fallout over Manchester City’s guilty verdict and the raft of Nations League games during this extended international brek.

We’ll try to untangle and add more perspective on the former throughout the day and also focus on the latest group outings for both England and Scotland. The Three Lions play Croatia at 5pm BST while the Scots travel to North Macedonia for an evening kick-off at 7.45.

And how about that result for Northern Ireland last night?! News on that coming up and we’ll even tell you what happened in Kazakhstan v Moldova.

Come and join us!