Holding France midfielder Paul Pogba from be🦩hind, Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger appeared to open his mouth and lightly bite his opponent's back.
Pogba said the German “nibbled” on him, and Rüdiger said he re🍒gꩲrets doing it.
The incident happened Tuesday toward the end of the first half during France's 1-0 win at the European Championship.
“I shouldn't go like th♐at with my mouth to his back — no question — it looks unfortunate,” Rüdiger said Wednesday.
“Paul and I spoke very amiꦅcably after the final whistle, and he confirmed to me and then again in an interview that it wasn't a bite, like one or other ou🌳tsiders said at first.”
The Germany defender had said before the game that hi♏s team would need to be “disgusting” to beat the World Cup champions.
And then came that moment with Pogba.
“He nibbled, I think, a littl🧸e bit on me,” Pogba said after the game.
“I felt it, I told the referee, and he makes the decisions, and he took a decision. It's over. I just want to play football. He hasn't received any cards. I thi▨nk it's better lik💙e this.”
Pogba,🍎 whose incisive play from midfield helped France win 🔯the match, said the incident was “nothing big” and “belongs to the past."
"I am not crying for car🍒ds, you know red 🥀cars, because of such actions,” Pogba said, adding he and Rüdiger were friends and had known each other for a long time.
UEFA said Wednesday it was not o𒁃pening a disciplinary case against Rüdiger.
Rüdiger said before the UEFA decision he did not expect any retrospective punishment for the incide♓nt. Neither Spanish referee Carlos del Cerro Grande nor video assistant Juan Martínez🎃 Munuera took any action despite being aware of it.
“The referee told me during the game,&quo🐎t; R🍒üdiger said, "that he would have punished me if he considered it a violent act.”
(AP)
