Costa scores on Madrid return

Diego Costa scored a goal and had an injury scare in his first five minutes back with Atletico Madrid yesterday. Costa went on as a second-half substitute to help Atletico win 4-0 at 10-man Lleida in the first leg of their Copa del Rey’s round-of-16 meeting.

But his celebration with his teammates was cut short by pain to his right leg. The Brazilian-born Spain striker grabbed the area around his right knee and limped off the pitch to be attended by team medics. Television replays showed that there was blood on the inside of his leg.

But after a few minutes on the sidelines, Costa returned to the pitch and finished the match without visibly favouring his left leg.

FIRST COMPETITIVE MATCH

The club said after the match that Costa had a “direct knock to the inside of his right leg that caused pain in his knee”. It added that during today’s training session, his leg would be evaluated to see if it required further tests.

It was Costa’s first competitive match since playing with Spain in June. Costa moved back to Atletico after he fell out with Chelsea coach Antonio Conte despite helping the English side win the Premier League last season.

However, Costa and fellow newcomer Victor ‘Vitolo’ Machin couldn’t play for Atletico until 2018 when the club’s ban on fielding new players for violating FIFA regulations regarding youth players expired.