sport news Granit Xhaka denies attempts to goad Serbian bench after grabbing HIS CROTCH ... trends now
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Switzerland's Granit Xhaka has denied claims that he attempted to goad the Serbian team despite replays showing the midfielder making an offensive gesture towards the bench.
The two sides met for their final Group G match where Switzerland emerged victorious - beating their opponents 3-2 - and booked their place in the World Cup round of 16.
The match was filled with controversy as Xhaka and his national team-mate Xherdan Shaqiri, who have a history of antagonising the Serbian team, were both caught making gestures during the match.
Granit Xhaka has denied claims he attempted to goad the Serbia bench with a gesture
Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri opted against a celebration that landed him a fine in 2018
The Arsenal midfielder sparked an angry reaction from the Serbian dugout after exchanging words from afar before eventually grabbing his crotch in the direction of the bench.
Reflecting on the incident in his post-match interview, Xhaka insists that it was a moment of 'emotion' and that he simply wanted 'to focus on football'.
He said: 'You can hear from my voice that I am hoarse. It is a game with a lot of emotion. That's football. It was fair enough. We wanted to focus on football.'
