Euro 2020: Paul Pogba defends Antonio Rudiger for biting him on the back
French midfielder Paul Pogba was fouled by Antonio Rudiger in his first match in Euro 2020. Rudiger tried to bite Pogba on his back in the 45th minute. The Manchester United midfielder complained to the referee but no action was taken against the German.
In the post-match press conference, the man of the match Pogba defended Rudiger’s actions on the field and tried to douse the flames.
“With Tony, we are friends,” said Pogba. “This was nothing big. I think you saw the TV pictures, this is all over, this belongs to the past, I’m not crying for yellow or red cards for such actions.
“He nibbled, I think, a little bit on me, but we’ve known each other for a long time. I felt it, I told the referee, he takes the decisions and he took the decision. It’s over, I just want to play football,” he added.
After the full-time whistle, the two also had a long chat and hugged each other leaving everything on the field. The 28-year-old also said that he did not want him to be suspended.
“He hasn’t received any card, I think it’s better like this. I don’t want him to be suspended because of such a situation. At the end of the match we hugged each other and that’s it.”
Placed in Group F, World Champions France won their first match by 1-0 as Mats Hummels scored an own goal trying to clear Pogba’s cross. There were few attempts from Atoine Greizmann, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema but the shots could not get past German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
