Atletico set up Cup final with rivals Real
Sevilla finish with nine men
it and took our chances.
On the incidents with Costa, Falcao added: “The end of the game was ugly. These things happen in games with a lot to play for, but we leave it out there on the pitch.”
Costa, 24, has muscled his way into Atletico’s starting team this year with some outstanding performances in recent weeks.
He was a constant thorn in the side for Sevilla with his driving runs, his power in the air, and his ability to get under the skin of his opponents.
The fiery Medel saw red after picking up two yellow cards in the same incident, the second for appearing to kick Costa while he was on the ground.
Kondogbia received a straight red after he committed a foul on the Brazilian and then stamped on him between his legs.
“We know Costa is provocative but we fell for it,” Negredo told Spanish television.
Reaching the final shows the continued improvement of Atletico since Simeone took the helm just over a year ago.
The former Argentina captain, who helped the club win their last Cup as a player in 1996, guided the side to the Europa League final last season where they beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0.
They swept aside Champions League winners Chelsea 4-1 in the season-opening European Super Cup, and have surprised many by holding off Real Madrid to hang on to second place in La Liga behind leaders Barcelona for so long.
Atletico have not beaten Real in over a decade but Simeone was not prepared to discuss the final.
“It shows a lack of respect to Sevilla to talk about Real Madrid after this game against a great rival,” he said.