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Construction workers in Qatar
Photo: Andreas Gebert / dpa
After armed break-in – Sterling wants to be back against France
8:05 a.m .:
According to a media report, Raheem Sterling, who left for family reasons, is aiming to return to the English team.
The 28-year-old is said to have already informed the FA of this, the BBC reported on Thursday, citing the Chelsea professional's environment.
Sterling had left early after a break-in at his house before the World Cup round of 16 against Senegal (3-0), but kept a return open.
Now he could be back in time for the quarter-finals on Saturday (8 p.m. / ZDF and MagentaTV) against France.
It is questionable whether the offensive player, who was actually set by coach Gareth Southgate, will play again from the start after several missed training sessions.
FIFA confirms construction worker died in Qatar during World Cup
7:48 a.m.:
A worker apparently from the Philippines lost his life during the World Cup.
The man died as a result of an accident during repair work at the Saudi Arabian delegation's team hotel, reported the US sports news site The Athletic.
FIFA confirmed the report.
The world association was "deeply saddened by this tragedy," said a spokesman.
Further statements about the accident can only be made when more information is known.
According to The Athletic, the Qatari government was investigating the case.
The sports news site had reported that the deceased was a man named Alex, who is believed to be in his early 40s.
He is said to have been involved in an accident with a forklift.
When he fell off a ramp, he hit his head on concrete, it said.
The man was not wearing a seat belt – it is not known why.
Outsider football and convincing stars: insights from the World Cup
6:28 a.m .:
The eight most important games of this World Cup are still to come, but a large part of the tournament has already been completed.
Some insights can be gained from the 56 games so far, as a survey by the Institute for Game Analysis Potsdam shows:
Inefficient and out:
The teams needed an average of 7.1 shots to score in the round of 16, making them more efficient than in the group stage when the values were between 8.1 and 10.2.
Striking: The teams that needed by far the most shots to score a goal were eliminated early: Denmark, Belgium, Tunisia and Wales.
Underdog football:
Morocco is arguably the biggest upset in the quarterfinals.
The North Africans show that you can go far with an unusual style of play.
In the group stage, they averaged 34 percent possession, only five teams had fewer.
In the round of 16 against Spain it was only 22.1 percent.
With 80 percent, Morocco also has the seventh worst value for passports.
Out for top ball conquerors:
The former world champions Spain and Germany achieved the best values in ball recovery at this World Cup, but both were eliminated.
It took Spain just 7.8 seconds on average to regain the ball, compared to 8.1 seconds for Germany.
Morocco is fourth from bottom with 15.5 seconds to recover the ball.
Success of the top clubs:
With Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar, three of the previous stars are under contract with the French top club Paris Saint-Germain.
This is also reflected in the goals: PSG professionals have scored ten goals, eight goals are for FC Barcelona players and seven for Manchester United.
Tournament top scorers so far are Mbappé with five goals and two assists and Portugal's Bruno Fernandes, who scored twice and provided three assists.
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