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Tag: Diego Costa

  • La Liga: Costa banned for 8 games for insulting referee

    Atletico Madrid Striker Diego Costa has been handed an eight-match La Liga ban by the Spanish Football Federation’s Competition Committee for abusing the referee after he was shown red card during last Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Barcelona.

    The official report stated that the 30-year-old swore and shouted at referee Jesus Gil Manzano and also grabbed him “on numerous occasions” after he had been given his marching orders in the 28th minute.

    The ban, which ends Costa’s season as there are only seven games remaining, consists of four games for being found in breach of Article 94 of the league’s code of conduct for using insulting or offensive words towards a match official and another four matches for breaching Article 96, which refers to the use of light violence towards referees.

    Atletico were fined 2,800 euros (2,413.70 pounds), while Costa was fined 6,010 euros over the incident.

    They have 10 days within which they can lodge an appeal.

  • I red-carded Diego Costa for abusing my mum – Referee

    Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa was given a straight red card in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou for crude remarks he made about the match official’s mother, according to referee Jesus Gil Manzano.

    Costa was shown a straight red card in the 28th minute of the top-of-the-table clash for a verbal outburst at Manzano, who later reported the contents of the ex-Chelsea man’s derogatory message in his match report.

    With a man advantage for over an hour, Barca finally found a breakthrough with a wonderful curled strike from Luis Suarez in the 85th minute and Lionel Messi sealed the win with a goal moments later.

    After the match, Atletico coach Diego Simeone cursed his side’s bad luck with refereeing decisions in games against Barcelona

    “I asked the referee if what he said was so bad because we have seen Barca players do the same thing, saying things right in the referee’s face and they did not get sent off, they got away with it,” Simeone told a news conference.

    “If Costa really said what the referee claims he did, then he was correctly sent off, but we must be doing something wrong as we have had seven players sent off in 11 games.

    Read Also: Diego Costa Returns to Atletico Madrid

    “I remember we had Fernando Torres, a global icon, sent off here for making two fouls.”

    Atletico midfielder Koke also aired his frustration.

    “We were doing so well until the red card but all the small details went their way,” he said.

    “Whenever we come here something strange happens, we’ve had a lot of red cards against Barca and not all of them have been fair.”

    Atletico coped well with 10 men and had one glorious opportunity to break the deadlock in the second half from a free kick but midfielder Rodrigo headed narrowly over the bar.

    “The plan was to close space through the middle and invite the opponents to play on the wings so we could have a tiny possibility of winning,” Simeone added.

    “We were better in the second half, we made a huge effort and I felt we were in control until the final five minutes when Suarez got the breakthrough. I’m left encouraged by many things which my team did today.”

     

     

     

     

  • Costa blasts Hernandez’s clothes with a fire extinguisher

    It is not hard to imagine Diego Costa causing mayhem on the training ground and that is exactly what he did after Atletico Madrid’s session on Tuesday.

    The striker is currently recuperating from surgery on his left foot and is expected to be out until February but that did not prevent him from scheming against teammate Lucas Hernandez.

    As Hernandez looked to be showering after training, Costa laid out his colleague’s clothes in the car park before spraying them with a fire extinguisher and covering them in white powder.

    Former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis shared a video of the 30-year-old carrying out the hilarious prank and uploaded it to Instagram.

    Hernandez walked out of the changing room in just his underwear and looked shocked before seeing the funny side.

    Luis posted the video with the caption: ‘They fight like brothers.’

    Hernandez would soon have his revenge though as he grabbed the extinguisher for himself before blasting Costa’s parked car while the forward watched on from a grassy area to the side of the car park.

    Hernandez posted the video online with the caption: ‘Welcome to the new series of “Pimp My Ride”.

    Costa proved he has lost none of his mischievousness since leaving Chelsea for a return to Spain in 2017 by playing a hilarious prank on his brother earlier this month.

    The striker let off a series of small fireworks just inches away from Jair Da Costa, who woke with a shock.

    As his sibling slept with his back to the camera, Costa snuck up and placed a bowl next to his head. Seconds later, a series of loud bangs and flashes erupt from the bowl, startling Da Costa Silva, who wakes up immediately.

    Costa had initially been prescribed rest to solve the ongoing pain in his foot, but his performances suffered and he went on a run of 18 games without scoring.

    Up until the operation, Costa had struggled in La Liga for Atletico Madrid, managing to accumulate more yellow cards than goals.

  • Expect no less than before at Russia 2018 as quarter-finals get underway

    The 2018 FIFA World Cup enters the quarter-finals stage on Friday, with the France versus Uruguay fixture at Nizhny Novgorod kicking off a two-day line-up of four potentially-explosive matches.

    The quarter-finals have come with the usual expectations and surprise element of any tournament of this nature, yet they have not come without a trace of the unexpected.

    The first round/group phase did not do so much to shock us, other than see off title-holders Germany, world number 10 Poland and the five African sides.

    However, the Round of 16 has lived up to expectations, not just with the exit of 2010 champions Spain, two-times champions Argentina and Portugal, but the teams’ star players.

    Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Andres Iniesta, Isco, Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria,Gonzalo Higuain, Ricardo Quaresma, Sergio Ramos and Javier Mascherano are now watching the competition from their homes.

    They joined the likes of Tony Kroos, Thomas Muller, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski who had been on the sidelines pretty much earlier.

    Their situation, very much unfavoured, is what the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, as well as Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe will now try to avoid.

    France with their array of megastars such as Pogba, Mbappe, Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and N’Golo Kante will be wary of what Suarez and Cavani can do upfront.

    But the Uruguayan defence line should worry them much more, with the Atletico Madrid defensive pair of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez at the centre of affairs.

    Read Also: World Cup: Germany arrive home to angry supporters

    Later on Friday, Belgium who made an incredible comeback from two goals down to win 3-2 will face Brazil at Kazan and knowing that a confrontation with Brazil or Belgium awaits.

    Brazil should rather be wary of Belgium, with Eden Hazard and Romelo Lukaku, have gone 23 games unbeaten and have the best record at this tournament so far.

    They have won all their matches so far, scoring 12 and conceding four goals, but the grittiness which saw them through against Japan is something Brazil will need much of.

    Brazil have struggled to survive against Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia, in spite of Neymar, Willian, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Casemiro, Gabriel Jesus and Marcelo not looking out of form.

    However, the fact that they have not conceded again since the only goal against Switzerland in their opening match is something Belgium will have to think a lot about.

    England have been thinking so much that they now have a good chance of another World Cup win since 1966, with the tournament draw being good to them.

    They do not to have to face the likes of France, Uruguay, Brazil or Belgium until July 15, and they feel Sweden may not be too much headache.

    But when they face off on Saturday in Samara, they will have to contend with a side which has shown so much resilience, even in the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

    They beat The Netherlands and Italy in qualifying for Russia, made life difficult for Germany and beat South Korea and Mexico in Russia, and eliminated Switzerland in the Round of 16.

    Usually a quiet side, Sweden can bring down England if they keep under check Harry Kane and Jesse Lingard, as well as likely substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy.

    The good thing for the Swedes is that, in spite of Kane’s leading goalscorer status, England do not have what they do not have, and this makes the game balanced.

    Russia have not disappointed so far, and it is a good preview for them as they head to Fisht Stadium in Sochi to host Croatia on Saturday.

    It is a likely quiet and not-extraordinary game, with Russia being the lowest FIFA-ranked team at the tournament.

    While Russian hopes have risen since the penalty kicks shootout defeat of Spain, it may just serve the hosts well not to count their chickens b efore they are hatched.

    Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic have provided the needed midfield inspiration, while Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic have spearheaded offensive runs which have produced not goals but team game stability.

    The Croats are aware of their capability and Modric, while speaking at their pre-match press conference on Wednesday, said team compatibility is a weapon they would use to great effect.

    “We know it is going to be tough against Russia, especially as they are the hosts, but we know ourselves and what we can do. We will do it as expected,’’ he said.

    However, will they be able to reenact the performance that led them to the 1998 semi-finals in France, having to play against a team and its expectant nation of 144 million?

    It is however Russia’s best World Cup run since the 1966 semi-finals appearance, and they will want to go further than this quarter-finals stage not just because they are the hosts.

    They have shown good strength of character with the way they overcame Spain, and swung their compatriots who never believed in them before behind them.

    While they can shock the Croats, and which can happen, it may just be one other shock in a tournament that is still capable of bringing up more shocks.

    NAN

  • Spain’s Costa first player to be awarded World Cup goal through VAR

    Diego Costa’s equaliser for Spain against Portugal on Friday was the first time a World Cup goal was awarded after a review from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

    The striker’s goal was allowed to stand in spite of a collision with defender Pepe.

    Costa ran into the Portuguese centre back in the build-up to his equaliser in the 24th minute to cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo’s fourth minute penalty.

    Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi gave the goal after consulting the VAR team.

    The system, which was trialled in Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A last season, allows the video assistant to review decisions where a “clear and obvious” error is spotted.

    Later in the first half Spain midfielder Isco asked Rocchi to consult the video assistant again when a shot from Andres Iniesta came flying off the underside of the bar.

    However, the Italian indicated he would have received a signal on his watch from the goal line technology being used had the ball crossed the line. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Koeman blames failed Giroud move, tough fixtures for sacking

    Koeman blames failed Giroud move, tough fixtures for sacking

    Former Everton manager, Ronald Koeman says the club’s failure to sign Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud as a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, combined with their tough fixture list to start the season, led to him being fired.

    Koeman was sacked on Monday after Everton’s 5-2 loss to Arsenal dropped them into the Premier League relegation zone.

    The side have struggled to score this year, netting just seven goals in nine league games, and Koeman said allowing top scorer Lukaku to leave for Manchester United without signing a replacement proved costly.

    “I had Olivier Giroud in the building,’’ Koeman told Dutch magazine VI.

    ”He would have fitted perfectly but, at the very last moment, he decided that he’d rather live in London and stay at Arsenal.

    “That was really hard to swallow … Lukaku was so important for us, not just because of his goals.

    “If things were not going well in a game, if we could not play the way we were used to, there was always the option to use the long ball towards him.”

    Everton faced Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in their opening nine league games.

    And Koeman, who spent heavily in the summer to overhaul the squad, said he knew it would be tough going when the fixture list came out.

    “I looked at it and saw that five of our first nine games would be against clubs from last season’s top six…,” Koeman added.

    “I said to myself, ‘Phew! That is not going to be an easy run, in particular with a Europa League run at the same time; and, most of all, because I had lost my striker Lukaku.”

    Giroud was not the only striking target Everton missed out on, midfielder Nikola Vlasic told Dutch outlet 24sata.

    The club had hoped to sign former Chelsea striker Diego Costa and had reserved a shirt number for the Spaniard.

    “Number 27 was free, I wanted 8, but Ross Barkley wears it, while the club was keeping 19 for Diego Costa,” Vlasic said.

    Assistant coach David Unsworth was named Everton’s interim manager and his first league match in charge will be a trip to Leicester City on Sunday.

    NAN

  • Diego Costa celebrates birthday in style

    Diego Costa celebrates birthday in style

     

    Diego Costa took some time out from his Atletico Madrid fitness programme by cracking open a cold one on a Spanish beach.

    The striker celebrated his 29th birthday this weekend and was pictured treating himself to a beer while he relaxed over the international break.

    Costa has been put through his paces by Atletico’s coaches this week in a bid to get back to match fitness before January, when he will be permitted to play.

    His return to Atletico was confirmed last month after the Spanish side finally reached an agreement with Chelsea in a deal worth £57million.

    But while he is able to train with his new side, Atletico cannot register Costa to play for them until 2018 due to the club’s transfer ban.

    Costa was videoed last week struggling for breath after performing an intensive workout under the watchful eye of notorious Atletico coach Oscar ‘Profe’ Ortega.

    The striker is undergoing the fitness regime away from the rest of Diego Simeone’s squad following months without organised sessions, though he has also trained alongside his team-mates.

    After receiving a text from Chelsea manager Antonio Conte informing him he was no longer in his plans, Costa went into self-imposed exile back in his Brazilian hometown of Lagarto.

    Costa refused to report to training at Cobham and told Sportsmail he was being treated ‘like a criminal’ by his former club after playing a pivotal role in their Premier League title win in 2016-17.

    A stand-off which lasted for more than three months was finally ended when Chelsea reached an agreement to sell him back to Atletico on September 21.

    The 29-year-old previously spent six years as an Atletico player across two separate spells and won a La Liga title with the Madrid club in 2013-14.

    Costa’s fitness issues have seen him miss out on the Spain squad for their latest round of World Cup qualifiers. He last featured for his adopted country back in June.

  • Diego Costa shows off his new Atletico kit

    Diego Costa shows off his new Atletico kit

     

    Diego Costa is back in Atletico Madrid colours and he wants the world to know it.

    The striker, whose move back to his former club from Chelsea was formally completed this week, has been pulling on the Atleti kit for the first time since his return.

    And he was quick to post a snap of his shorts, bearing the club crest, onto his Instagram story.

    Costa, who passed his medical at Madrid on Monday, will command a £58million fee when he makes the permanent switch in the summer – he will first join Atletico on loan until the end of the season.

    And, though he cannot play for his new team until January 1 due to Madrid’s existing transfer ban, he is quickly settling into life at the Wanda Metropolitano.

    His post comes less than 24 hours after he stuck an emotional message up on his Instagram page, thanking the Chelsea fans for their support during his time at Stamford Bridge.

    Next to a picture of himself kissing the Premier League trophy, he wrote: ‘Some cycles begin while others end. My cycle at Chelsea began three years ago – three remarkable years in all aspects – and I will never forget it.

    ‘Two championship titles, a Community Shield, 120 matches, 59 goals and 24 assists later this cycle has ended. Not the way I would have wanted – far from it – but the best way possible.

    ‘The wonderful fans of such equally admirable club and all team mates, as well as all clinical, administrative and logistics staff will remain forever in my mind and in my heart.

    ‘Will bring them with me with the certainty that I will always be by their side as well, and I’m sure they will understand the reason why this cycle of mine has now ended – because I could not lose faith in myself. Thank you Chelsea for everything!’

  • Costa’s return to Atletico Madrid finalised

    Costa’s return to Atletico Madrid finalised

    Diego Costa’s return to Spanish La Liga side Atletico Madrid from Jan. 1 has been finialised, English Premier League champions Chelsea said in a statement on Tuesday.

    The two clubs agreed the transfer last week and on Monday the 28-year-old Spain forward passed a medical to return to the Spanish capital.

    “Diego Costa has today agreed terms for his transfer to Atletico Madrid, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018,” Chelsea said in a statement.

    “We thank Diego for his efforts and wish him well in his future career.”

    The controversial Spaniard’s departure from Stamford Bridge signalled the end of a messy transfer saga.

    During this, Costa claimed Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had told him via text that he was no longer required at the club.

    His last game for Chelsea came at Wembley in May when he scored in the 2-1 FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal.

    Costa leaves Chelsea having won two Premier League titles, one League Cup and scored 59 goals in 120 appearances.

    He finished as Chelsea’s top scorer in each of his three seasons in west London.

    “I‘m very happy to return home,” Costa said in a statement on Atletico’s official website.

    “I’ve always said it, Atletico is my home. I‘m very, very happy. I‘m looking forward to start contributing. I‘m going to give my all for the team, as I always try to do.

    “Thank you to the whole club for making this move forward, I‘m very grateful to everyone.”

    Costa will have to wait before pulling on the red and white striped shirt of Atletico as the European transfer window is closed.

    Also, Atletico are banned from registering new players until 2018 after breaching FIFA rules.

    Diego Costa’s return, means he will wear the number 18 shirt, and will join the team’s training from Wednesday.

    He will be eligible for selection from Jan. 2 when the Spanish transfer window opens and Atletico’s ban ends.

    Costa first joined Atletico in 2006 and, following a string of loan spells, established himself as a key part of Diego Simeone’s title winning side in 2013-2014.

    He then joined Chelsea in a deal worth 32 million pounds ($43.21 million).

    Atletico are in the same Champions League group as Chelsea but their two clashes will both be before Costa is eligible to continue his career with the Spanish club.

  • No Conte grudges as Diego returns to Madrid

    No Conte grudges as Diego returns to Madrid

     

    Diego Costa insists that he leaves Chelsea with no grudges  towards Antonio Conte despite reports of a fractious relationship with the Italian prompting him to seek a return to Athletico Madrid

    Chelsea and Atletico secured a deal, estimated to be worth up to €60million, on Thursday, with Costa set to undergo a medical and agree personal terms before finalising a reunion with Diego Simeone’s side.

    Conte informed Costa that he was not in his plans for the campaign in pre-season, with the pair reported to have fallen out in January over the Blues’ refusal to sanction a move to China, but the striker was welcomed back for Chelsea’s title run-in.

    A pre-season move failed to materialise and Costa opted to remain in Brazil rather than return to training, but with a departure close, the 28-year-old insists he bears no ill will because “everything is cool”.

    Interviewed by Splash News in a Sao Paulo airport, Costa said: “Everybody knows how much I love the fans.

    “There’s nothing of the sort [anger] there. I’m not upset with anyone. I have no bitterness towards anyone. Everything is cool.”

    Costa who boarded a Flight Friday to Spain to complete his transfer will be unable to feature for the club until January

    Costa, now 28, who signed for Chelsea from Atletico in 2014 for £32m, will have a medical in the next 48 hours before signing a four-year contract, with the move expected to be completed by the start of next week.

    Although both Costa and Conte continue to insist there is no bad blood between them, Conte informed the forward that he would no longer be part of plans at Stamford Bridge via a single text message, causing a stand-off between player and club which resulted in Costa telling Sportsmail he felt like he was being treated like a prisoner.

    Costa arrived at Stamford Bridge in July 2014 after the Blues triggered his £32m buy-out clause.

    Costa went on to score 59 goals in 120 matches during his time with Chelsea, winning two Premier League titles and one League Cup.