Granit Xhaka denies attempts to goad Serbian bench after grabbing HIS CROTCH during World Cup clash

Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka has denied claims that he tried to goad the Serbian team despite replays showing the midfielder making an offensive gesture towards the bench.

The two teams met in their last match in Group G, 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 teammate Xherdan Shaqiri, who have a history of antagonism with the Serbian team, were caught gesturing during the match.

Granit Xhaka has denied claims that she tried to goad the Serbian bench with a gesture

Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri chose not to hold a celebration that earned him a fine in 2018

The Arsenal midfielder drew an angry reaction from the Serbian dugout after exchanging words from afar before grabbing his crotch heading towards the dugout.

Reflecting on the incident in his post-match interview, Xhaka insists it was an “emotional” moment and he simply wanted to “focus on football”.

He said: ‘You can hear from my voice that I’m hoarse. It is a game with a lot of emotion. That’s soccer. It was fair enough. We wanted to focus on football.

His manager, Murat Yakin, agreed with the comments, stating that it was “a normal exchange”.

‘I saw Granit focus on football. It was fair game. It was a normal exchange with a bit of emotion. It cost us a lot of power and a lot of emotions. We started well, we took the lead, but then we lost possession twice and fell behind,” Yakin said.

The Arsenal midfielder grabbed his crotch after exchanging words with the Serbian bench

Switzerland coach Murat Yakin suggested Xhaka had a ‘normal exchange’ with the Serbs

Xhaka has a history of conflict with the Serbian national team after both he and Shaqiri performed the Albanian national symbol of a double-headed eagle with their hands during Switzerland’s 2-1 win over Serbia in the 2018 World Cup.

Both players were fined 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,700) for actions that FIFA called “unsportsmanlike behavior contrary to the principles of fair play”.

Shaqiri, now plying his trade for MLS side Chicago Fire FC, came back to haunt the Serbs after scoring the opener on Friday night, but this time he chose not to celebrate, instead sticking a finger at lips in response to boos from fans.

The former Liverpool and Stoke winger joined an elite club, with only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi listed as players to have scored in the last three World Cups.

Shaqiri (pictured) and Xhaka were fined 10,000 Swiss francs for this celebration in 2018

The winger scored on Friday night but chose to put a finger to his lips instead of the eagle

Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic declined to suggest that his players were provoked by a comment or action taken by a player from Switzerland.

He said: ‘Maybe, but I don’t know what exactly is going on. I can’t give you the reason why. Sometimes tensions come, and a few bad words can create awkward behavior.

But it’s nothing special. It is normal for this type of game.

The two groups of players came to blows midway through the second half when Xhaka was involved in a push with the Serbian defender.

Tensions began to boil over when the two sides came to blows in the second half.

Switzerland secured their place in the round of 16 of the World Cup after beating Serbia 3-2 on a dramatic last day of the group stage.

Shaqiri gave his team the lead before Serbs Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic scored a goal each to turn the game around.

Breel Embolo quickly restored parity before Remo Freuler scored the winner early in the second half.

Yakin’s team will face Portugal in their first knockout match of the tournament on Tuesday night.