The Best Reactions to That World Cup Bite

Here's something we didn't expect to see in the World Cup, but maybe we should have — Uruguay forward Luis Suarez just bit someone during the Uruguay vs. Italy game. Actually, more specifically, he bit someone again. In this latest inglorious chapter, Saurez managed to get off the field unpunished, but that luck may not last.

The World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest, most climactic sports tournament ever, and the World Cup animates a level of passion and enthusiasm across national lines like nothing else quite can. It should come as no surprise, performing on such a staggering international stage, that players might let their emotions get the best of them sometimes.

Unfortunately, that's not what transpired in Uruguay's match with Italy Tuesday. In fact, Suarez has now bitten opponents on the field in three documented instances over the last five years, and with this most glaring example, it's possible he could be booted from FIFA competition altogether.

Late in the game, with Uruguay and Italy locked in a scoreless tie, Suarez unleashed a vicious chomp on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, sending both of them toppling to the ground — Chiellini with a wounded shoulder, Suarez with a sore set of teeth.

A furious Chiellini sought out a referee, surely believing Suarez would receive a red card and an automatic ejection for the attack, but to no avail. Despite exposing his bare shoulder to show the mark, it wasn't enough for Suarez to be caught in the moment.

Unfortunately for Chiellini and for Italy, Suarez managed both to eat them and beat them. He wasn't ejected, and was able to continue playing.

While he wasn't involved in the critical scoring play that would put Uruguay ahead by one, and secure their victory, he was still out there, playing his part in the team's offensive and defensive positioning. It's impossible to say how things might have turned out if the ref had ruled differently.

Suarez will be under intense scrutiny by FIFA in advance of Uruguay's next game — multiple media outlets have reported that he could face a ban, significantly stymying the chances of his team, all so he could get a bite in. It's not as if biting is his only sin, either — in 2011, he was banned for eight games for racist verbal abuse directed at Manchester United's Patrice Evra.