Raheem Sterling was forced to sit out England ’s 3-0 win over Senegal after his house was reportedly burgled.
The FA confirmed that the Chelsea star would be unavailable for their last 16 clash against Senegal in order to deal with a “family issue,” with Gareth Southgate reluctant to offer any details, and couldn't confirm that Sterling would remain with the squad for the remainder of the tournament. In the end, Sterling’s absence didn’t prove significant as the Three Lions ran out 3-0 winners over the African champions thanks to goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka.
But it has now emerged that Sterling sat it out after his family home was burgled. The Sun reports that armed crooks forced their way into Sterling’s house. The former Liverpool and Man City winger was informed and allowed to miss the game in order to deal with the incident and contact family back home in England.
Southgate confirmed that Sterling would be heading home, but didn't rule out his return to the camp. His World Cup can continue though after England men booked their spot in the quarter-finals. They face a tough test in order to reach the semis however, with holders France standing in their way.
Les Bleus confirmed their place in the last eight with a 3-1 win over Poland earlier on Sunday. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring to overtake Thierry Henry as his country’s all-time record goalscorer. Kylian Mbappe then overshadowed his experienced strike partner with two stunning strikes, taking him to lead the tournament's scoring charts with five goals.
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