John Obi Mikel: 'Referee should have punished Olivier Giroud for elbow'

John Obi Mikel has claimed that Olivier Giroud should have been punished for striking him with an elbow during the World Cup last-16 meeting between Nigeria and France on Monday night.

Two late goals allowed France to book their spot in the quarter-finals, but Mikel was left frustrated after the game due to Mark Geiger's failure to address the clash with Giroud.

"Yes I got an elbow and the referee saw it and he only gave him a warning, not even a yellow card, nothing," the Chelsea midfielder told The Mirror. "It was bad.

"We know the game - if you see it, act on it. The ref saw it. He did catch me, I don't know if it was too hard but the intention was definitely there."

Nigeria head coach Stephen Keshi was also critical of Geiger's display in Brasilia.