Atletico Madrid
Ex-Chelsea Player Sees Red In La Liga Decider
The Spanish La Liga clash between defending champions Barcelona and rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday was billed as a potential title decider but in the end, Catalan giants ran out comfortable winners after Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa was sent off in the first half of the league encounter.
The former Chelsea Striker was given his marching orders in the 28th minute after his rant towards the centre referee and that proved to be the turning point in the game.
Barcelona came into the game on the back of an eight-point lead over Atletico Madrid but the Rojiblancos knew that a win over the Spanish champions at the Nou Camp will blow the title race wide open.
The early dismissal of Diego Costa didn’t help Atletico Madrid who spent the majority of the game on the back foot.
Their resolve was finally broken in the last five minutes when Luis Suarez gave Barcelona an 85th lead with a fine finish before star player Lionel Messi added a second goal in the space of one minute of the opening goal by Uruguayan international Suarez.
The 2-0 was more than enough to take Barcelona 11 points clear at the top of the league table ahead of the last seven games.
