German centre-back Antonio Rudiger is facing accusations that he bit France’s Paul Pogba during the Euro 2020 tie between the two countries.
The Manchester United man was on top form during the first-half of the blockbuster Group F match-up, with his delightful outside-of-the-boot pass directly leading to the opening goal – with Mats Hummels turning into his own net from Lucas Hernandez’ cross.
However, towards the end of the half Pogba was involved in an altercation with Chelsea star Rudiger.
The defender was marking Pogba from behind and appeared to be speaking to him when he was caught by TV cameras moving his mouth towards the midfielder’s shoulder.
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While it’s not clear exactly what Rudiger did and Pogba did not immediately react, the World Cup winner was clearly frustrated as he pointed towards his shoulder blades before remonstrating with the referee over the incident.
No VAR check was forthcoming and nothing more was made of the incident during the match.
Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Ian Wright, who were on punditry duty for ITV, were undecided on what happened and to what extent Pogba was ‘bitten.’
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“When you see that Pogba reaction, it looks like a bite,” Frenchman and Arsenal legend Vieira said.
“I don’t really understand what he is trying to do there.”
Former United skipper Keane joked: “I think it was more of a nibble than a bite. It wasn’t a proper bite but a silly thing to do.”
Wright, however, believes Pogba’s lack of immediate reaction shows he wasn’t bitten: “He’s not flinched at all. I can’t see it.”
