Mandzukic clears Carvajal of biting in battle of Madrid

Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic on Wednesday cleared Real rival Dani Carvajal of biting him in their Champions League clash but a punch delivered by the Real defender could still cost him a ban.

Mandzukic backed Carvajal's denials of a bite in a Twitter statement after the bruising quarter final clash encounter on Tuesday night which ended 0-0.

"Yesterday's match was very hard and both teams gave everything, but for me there was no controversy, no bite, or anything," the Croat striker said.

"We're all thinking about Saturday's match against Deportivo which is very important."

Mandzukic ended the Champions League game with a bloodied face after an elbow from Real defender Sergio Ramos.

But his clash with Spanish international Carvajal dominated post-match talk.

Battling in the penalty area, Mandzukic's arm is raised to hold back his rival. As Carvajal moves round, his mouth comes close to Mandzukic's arm and then he lands a punch in the striker's stomach.

Serbian referee Milorad Mazic was unsighted and Carvajal was extremely lucky not to concede a penalty for the punch. But the images soon dominated social media and Carvajal, who could still face retroactive action by UEFA, was quick to react on his Twitter account.

"I saw after the game that I am accused of biting an opponent player, I want to clarify that I have not bitten anyone, nor attempted to," he said.

Film from the mixed zone after the game, broadcast by Spanish channel Neox, showed a small mark on Mandzukic's arm. But there was no way of telling whether it was a bite or a cut.

While Mandzukic's comments will ease Carvajal's woes, he could still face action over the punch.

And his absence for the second leg would be a blow for Real Madrid next Wednesday. They will already be without another key defender Marcelo who reached his yellow card limit in the game.

Atletico Madrid's Mario Suarez made an apology meanwhile for making comments about the Serbian referee after the goalless draw.

"The referee was very bad. You can't have a Serbian in charge of a Champions League quarter-final, that isn't taking it seriously enough," Suarez fumed after the game.

"I hope that in the second-leg the referee will be better with more fluid and normal decisions.

"The referee wasn't up to it, but they made mistakes as we do."

The 28-year-old defensive midfielder was booked in the game and will be suspended for the return. And he quickly backtracked on his comments on Twitter.

"I'd like to apologise if anyone was offended by my words after the match, that wasn't my intention," he said.

"I wanted to say that in a match of this magnitude you should designate a referee from a major league."

However his Brazilian teammate Miranda also said the referee for such a big game should not come from "a minor league".
Source: AFP