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| Third bite is deepest for Luis Suárez and his World Cup may be over | Third bite is deepest for Luis Suárez and his World Cup may be over |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Luis Suárez failed to puncture Italy’s defence in Natal, leaving that duty to his team-mate Diego Godín. But he did his best to puncture an Italian defender, the deep red marks on Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder appearing to confirm the suspicion that the striker had leaned in for more than just a friendly nuzzle as the pair tussled off the ball in the 79th minute. | Luis Suárez failed to puncture Italy’s defence in Natal, leaving that duty to his team-mate Diego Godín. But he did his best to puncture an Italian defender, the deep red marks on Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder appearing to confirm the suspicion that the striker had leaned in for more than just a friendly nuzzle as the pair tussled off the ball in the 79th minute. |
| And so here we are again: another World Cup and another controversy with the Uruguay striker at its heart. His goalline handball against Ghana in South Africa four years ago divided opinion. There will always be those who stand in support of a player who commits an instinctive foul to keep his country in a World Cup. | And so here we are again: another World Cup and another controversy with the Uruguay striker at its heart. His goalline handball against Ghana in South Africa four years ago divided opinion. There will always be those who stand in support of a player who commits an instinctive foul to keep his country in a World Cup. |
| But there is no such obvious defence for chomping down on an opponent’s shoulder. What Suárez thought this would achieve is not clear but the speed with which he fell to the ground after committing the offence suggests that he hoped to draw a reaction from Chiellini. | But there is no such obvious defence for chomping down on an opponent’s shoulder. What Suárez thought this would achieve is not clear but the speed with which he fell to the ground after committing the offence suggests that he hoped to draw a reaction from Chiellini. |
| The only one he got was shock, the Italian defender pulling his shirt down at the neck to confirm to himself what had just occurred. Jokes were made in the build-up to this game about the nickname of the referee Marco Rodríguez, known in his native Mexico as Chiqui Dracula. But the Azzurri had not braced themselves for a real-life pair of fangs. | The only one he got was shock, the Italian defender pulling his shirt down at the neck to confirm to himself what had just occurred. Jokes were made in the build-up to this game about the nickname of the referee Marco Rodríguez, known in his native Mexico as Chiqui Dracula. But the Azzurri had not braced themselves for a real-life pair of fangs. |
| Perhaps they should have done. This is not the first time for Suárez, nor even the second. His chomp on Branislav Ivanovic’s forearm while playing for Liverpool against Chelsea at Anfield in April 2013 earned him a 10-game suspension. Dutch authorities were slightly more lenient, banning him for only seven games after he bit PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal back in 2010. | |
| He was, eventually, apologetic in both instances. Explaining the more recent incident in an interview with Sports Illustrated earlier this month, he claimed that “it was a matter of frustration in the heat of the play … you react in a fraction of a second. Something that may not seem like a big deal suddenly is and you aren’t conscious of your reaction or the repercussions.” | He was, eventually, apologetic in both instances. Explaining the more recent incident in an interview with Sports Illustrated earlier this month, he claimed that “it was a matter of frustration in the heat of the play … you react in a fraction of a second. Something that may not seem like a big deal suddenly is and you aren’t conscious of your reaction or the repercussions.” |
| Certainly Italy had done a good job of frustrating Suárez in Natal, limiting him to only a pair of chances – both of which were well saved by Gianluigi Buffon. And a kick-off temperature of 33C, with 91% humidity, was enough to test even the coolest of heads. | Certainly Italy had done a good job of frustrating Suárez in Natal, limiting him to only a pair of chances – both of which were well saved by Gianluigi Buffon. And a kick-off temperature of 33C, with 91% humidity, was enough to test even the coolest of heads. |
| But Suárez could hardly claim, at this point, to have been unaware of the potential fallout. If Fifa were to match the suspensions he has received for either of the previous two incidents, then his World Cup is already at an end. There was speculation on Tuesday night that the governing body might come down a whole lot harder than that. | But Suárez could hardly claim, at this point, to have been unaware of the potential fallout. If Fifa were to match the suspensions he has received for either of the previous two incidents, then his World Cup is already at an end. There was speculation on Tuesday night that the governing body might come down a whole lot harder than that. |
| Uruguay’s players ended the match by dancing on the pitch, revelling in their achievement. Who could blame them? A country with a population of barely 3.4m people had toppled one with a population more than 17 times that size. But the celebrations may be short-lived if Uruguay are obliged to continue in the tournament without the services of their most effective attacker. | |
| To the neutral that might seem a double disaster. Gone from this tournament is one of the greatest midfielders of a generation – Andrea Pirlo bowing out not only of this World Cup but likely from international football altogether – the player having stated beforehand that he expected to retire from appearing for Italy once their involvement in Brazil came to an end. | To the neutral that might seem a double disaster. Gone from this tournament is one of the greatest midfielders of a generation – Andrea Pirlo bowing out not only of this World Cup but likely from international football altogether – the player having stated beforehand that he expected to retire from appearing for Italy once their involvement in Brazil came to an end. |
| And gone too, would be Suárez, a player whose attitude divides opinion as few others but whose talent is beyond dispute. This was supposed to be the tournament where he wrote a new and glorious chapter for Uruguayan football. Instead he has given us the same old disappointing story. | And gone too, would be Suárez, a player whose attitude divides opinion as few others but whose talent is beyond dispute. This was supposed to be the tournament where he wrote a new and glorious chapter for Uruguayan football. Instead he has given us the same old disappointing story. |