World Cup in Qatar: The quarterfinals begin with Brazil

09:34: England’s team stands behind the coach Southgate

(dpa) England’s Kieran Trippier has made a plea for head coach Gareth Southgate ahead of the quarter-final against France. “Gareth has a contract for two more years. We all love Gareth, he’s a fantastic coach,” the 32-year-old told English newspapers. England meets world champions France at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Southgate and the FA put the future aside during the tournament. His record in major tournaments has been good so far: the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final at the 2021 European Championships, which they only lost to Italy after a penalty shoot-out at Wembley Stadium. Before the World Cup, the 52-year-old Southgate had come under criticism after a weak year and six Nations League games without a win. In Qatar, however, England have been on the right track so far and easily reached the round of the last eight.

07:08: The affixes in the first quarterfinals

Croatia – Brazil (4 p.m.): “It will be a game that will require our maximum level of concentration,” said Brazil’s full-back Danilo before the duel with the 2018 World Cup runners-up. The Brazilians are fighting their own misery in the quarter-finals. They have lost three of their last four World Cup quarter-finals, most recently in Russia in 2018 with a 2-1 loss to Belgium. This time the hope for the long-awaited sixth world title is all the greater.

The Croatians, on the other hand, have won seven of the last nine knockout games at the World Cup. In all of those nine games they have scored at least one goal. The underdog role suits Croatia’s Luka Modric. Brazil are of course favourites, he said. “But practice has shown that that doesn’t have to mean anything. We’re not worried.”

Netherlands – Argentina (8 p.m.): The duel between the two heavyweights is a real World Cup classic, and the two teams have already faced each other five times on the World Cup stage. Bonds coach Louis van Gaal still has unpleasant memories of the last meeting, as the South Americans ended the Dutch dreams of the title at the 2014 World Cup in the semi-finals by winning a penalty shoot-out. The final defeat against Argentina in 1978 was also bitter for the Dutch.

“We have a score to settle,” says van Gaal, emphasizing: “The tournament is really starting for us now.” If they want to progress, they have to stop Lionel Messi. The fifth World Cup is also the best of the seven-time world footballer. Messi is in a mood to play like rarely at a World Cup, he scored his first knockout round goal against Australia. «Of course Messi is their most dangerous and creative player. On the other hand, he doesn’t participate much in the game when the opponent is in possession of the ball,” says van Gaal. Therein lies an opportunity.

6:56 a.m .: You can read that in the NZZ today

6:54 a.m.: The quarterfinals begin today

Good morning dear readers, after two days of rest, the quarter-finals start today. We wish you a good day.