USA striker Jozy Altidore says his girlfriend is angry after an El Salvador opponent bit him and twisted his nipple

'My girl’s mad at me. She’s mad at me and she’s mad at Romero. She’s like 'Only I can bite you. Only I can grab your nipples.''

El Salvador defender Henry Romero assaulted Altidore in the six-yard box

The US national team beat El Salvador 2-0 in the Gold Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday evening but their victory was far less comfortable than the scoreline would suggest.

Jozy Altidore and teammate Omar Gonzalez were both bitten by opposing players with the former even having his nipple twisted as the USMNT attacked a corner.

The ex-Sunderland striker subsequently joked that defender Henry Romero's underhand tactics had even offended his girlfriend.

Watch a video of the incident below:

"My girl's mad at me," he told reporters after the game in Philadelphia.

"She's mad at me. She's mad at Romero, because she's like: 'Only I can bite you, only I can grab your nipples.'"

Altidore admitted he had never seen anything like it before but was happy to put the incident behind him.

“It’s never happened to me before, but Concacaf never ceases to amaze me," he added.

"It is what it is, and we move on. We’re happy to move on and we’re focused on [semi-final opponents] Costa Rica."

Teammate Tim Howard was less forgiving - of the biting, at least.

"You can't go around bitting people. That's crazy," the former Everton goalkeeper said.

"[The nipple twisting] should be allowed, but the biting is no good.

"I’m sure Concacaf will uh, will uh, I don’t know. I’m sure they will do what they’re supposed to do."