BARCELONA:
Diego Costa was carried off with a bloody leg after scoring Atletico
Madrid´s second goal in a 2-0 win at 10-man Getafe on Sunday, although
the team said its star striker escaped without a serious injury.
Atletico
extended its Spanish league lead to three points with five rounds to
play as it closes in on what would be its first league title in 18
years.
Costa slammed into the post while poking in his
26th goal of the season in the 84th minute, opening a cut on his left
shin and requiring the stadium´s medical crew to carry him off the pitch
while he covered his face and muffled his screams.
While
his teammates looked distraught as he writhed on the pitch, Atletico
said less than 10 minutes after the match on Twitter that "luckily Diego
Costa only has a cut after hitting the post." "He´s fine, calm, a cut
doesn´t do any more harm," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said about his
leading scorer. "We now have five games left, and we have to play each
one like it was a final."
Despite the scare, Atletico took
advantage of Barcelona´s loss on Saturday to open up a three point lead
over Real Madrid with Barcelona another point behind.
Defender
Diego Godin gave Atletico the lead in the 40th before Getafe´s Alexis
Ruano was dismissed with a red card in the 66th for pulling Miranda down
in the area, with goalkeeper Jordi Codina saving Diego Costa´s penalty
and Raul Garcia´s follow-up try.
Atletico then applied the
same stout defense that it used to eliminate Barcelona from the
Champions League this week to keep Getafe in the relegation zone. "This
was a tough rival to beat because a lot was on the line," Godin said.
"(And) the victory is a bitter one for what happened to Diego Costa."
Costa
was back in Atletico´s starting 11 having recovered from a right thigh
injury that sidelined him for two games.The Brazilian-born player is
having a breakout season that has earned him a spot on Vicente del
Bosque´s squad for Spain in this summer´s World Cup.
He
showed no signs of slowing down as he deployed the same physical style
of play that has made him the revelation of the league this season,
earning three fouls and two yellow cards for Getafe´s defenders in the
first half hour. And after Codina blocked his penalty kick, Costa kept
hustling and got his chance to pull to within two goals of league leader
Cristiano Ronaldo when he slid to meet Adrian Lopez´s cross.
The
goal came at a high price, with his cries heard across the pitch at
Alonso Perez Coliseum following his brutal collision with the upright.
Godin
put Atletico in front when he rose up over his marker to guide in
Juanfran Torres´ cross with a well-placed header over Codina, who was
caught off his line and yet nowhere near Godin. (AP)
FRANKFURT:
German liquid crystal maker Merck KGaA has extended the offer period
for its planned takeover of Britain's AZ Electronic Materials for a
fourth time as it awaits approval for the deal from Chinese antitrust
regulators.