Diego Costa had been back for only five minutes when he scored his first Atlético Madrid goal in three-and-a-half years but no sooner had he started than he stopped again. As the supporters behind the goal celebrated, Costa sat on the turf, looking at his right leg. He had stretched to turn the ball into the net, diving in where the studs were, and he had paid for it. The game – his first for almost eight months – kicked off again while he limped round the touchline with the doctor and the club’s fitness coach, Oscar ‘El Profe’ Ortega, yet he was not going to be beaten. He had waited too long to give up now, so Costa slowed by the bench, showed Diego Simone his shin and then ran on again.
His number was not up, after all. Barely five minutes before, it had been. Costa had began as a substitute and it was 8.17pm under a full moon before they called him over, the fourth official there with the board and the wait finally at an end. Costa pulled off his tracksuit top to reveal the 18 below, knelt down, crossed himself and headed to the touchline, high-fived Ángel Correa and made his way on to a football pitch for the first time in 221 days, crossing himself once more and pointing to the sky. Chants of “independence!” were interrupted by the cheers from the Atlético fans, while supporters of Lleida Esportiu whistled and booed. Mr Bad Guy was back. Less than five minutes later he had scored – just as he did on his debut for Chelsea.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2CynTtN
0 comments:
Post a Comment