Diego Costa's Explicit Rant Revealed by Referee After Atletico Madrid's 2-0 Loss to Barcelona
The match report from referee Gil Manzano has revealed the explicit rant from Diego Costa which led to his red card in Atletico Madrid's 2-0 defeat to Barcelona on Saturday.
The Spaniard lasted just 28 minutes of the game before angrily clashing with Manzano, and he was swiftly shown a straight card, leaving Atletico a man down as they went on to concede two late goals to give Barcelona an 11-point lead at the top of the La Liga table.
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Manzano was required to give his explanation for the decision in his post-match report and, according to journalist Richard Martin, Manzano stated that Costa unleashed an explicit attack towards him, prompting him to issue a red card.
According to the referee, Costa said: "I s**t on your w***e mother, I s**t on your w***e mother!", before being quickly dismissed from the field of play.
The 30-year-old has a reputation for being one of the more volatile players around, as anyone who has watched him will tell you. Many have criticised him for his inability to control his temper, whilst others have praised Costa for his desire to win at all costs.
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Costa has endured a torrid time at the Camp Nou in recent years. He was taken off injured in the 2013/14 Champions League quarter-final, before meeting a similar fate in the league just months later.
He then left for Chelsea, but on his return, drew a blank towards the end of last season, and can now add a 28-minute cameo to his list of disappointing showings at the Camp Nou.
The defeat has effectively put an end to Atletico's slim hopes of winning the league title, with Barcelona now 11 points clear at the top of the La Liga standings with just seven games remaining.
Whilst it is still mathematically possible for Los Rojiblancos to upset the odds, doing so seems incredibly unlikely, and they will now switch their attention to ensuring they finish ahead of local rivals Real Madrid.
Zinedine Zidane's men are just two points behind, meaning just one positive swing of results could see Los Blancos leapfrog Atletico into second.
