'Absolute shocker': France star's gruesome injury after neck stomp

Benjamin Pavard was on the wrong end of an opposition’s studs overnight as he copped a gruesome injury to his neck.

The France right-back winced in pain after a tackle gone wrong that saw him get tangled with Germany’s Antonio Rudiger.

The 22-year-old immediately clutched at his neck and called for medical attention, with replays showing a nasty neck stomp the cause of the painful cuts.

Pavard initially went in for a sliding tackle on the Chelsea star, and despite winning the ball, it was the follow through that left him in agony.

Rudiger’s boot scraped along Pavard’s neck and onto his chest, leaving Pavard with a very evident set of stud marks to show for it.

The incident had some fans slamming Germany’s Rudiger for what they claimed was an intentional act.

The heated fixture was held to a stalemate as neither France or Germany could find a winner in the UEFA Nations League opener.

The World Cup winners were on the back foot in the League A Group 1 opener as Joachim Loew’s Germany got back to work after their disappointing first round exit in Russia.

Germany dominated possession in the first half at the Allianz Arena in Munich but France nearly went ahead with Manuel Neuer forced into a smart save to deny Olivier Giroud.

It was one of few chances in a low-quality opening period, which started off on the wrong foot when Antonio Ruediger caught Benjamin Pavard on the neck with his studs.

The game burst into life after the break and Antoine Griezmann forced Neuer into another save, while Marco Reus was denied by Areola at the other end.

Mats Hummels saw a powerful effort beaten away by the France goalkeeper, while he also produced a stunning save to keep out Matthias Ginter’s header from a corner.

“I think we learned the lessons from the World Cup,” said Hummels.

“We all had setbacks in our careers. We are used to having to stand up again.”

German stars miss opportunities in France stalemate

Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos rued a host of missed chances as Germany were held to a 0-0 draw by France in their Nations League opener.

The previous two World Cup winners largely underwhelmed in Munich but it was the hosts – aiming to bounce back from their Russia 2018 humiliation – who came on strong in the closing stages.

Germany found France debutant Alphonse Areola in inspired form between the posts, though, as Muller erred in key positions and Matthias Ginter was stunningly denied at close quarters.

“I would have liked to win because we had such good scoring chances,” the Bayern Munich forward told ZDF.

Real Madrid’s Kroos produced a typically assured display in central midfield, completing all of his passes in the first half.

“We controlled the game well, didn’t allow any counter-attacks,” he added.

“What was disappointing was that, after some great chances, we didn’t score.”

Joachim Low’s side were knocked out in the group stages of the World Cup this summer after shocking defeats against Mexico and South Korea, four years on from lifting the famous trophy in Brazil.

The media backlash in the aftermath of the team’s performance has been severe, but they did manage to restore some national pride tonight against the country that managed to win the competition back in July.

Germany are back in action on Sunday when they host Peru in a friendly at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Meanwhile, France will play the second game of their Nations League campaign on the same evening against the Netherlands.

with Agencies.