Diego Costa gets 8 game ban for red card against Barca

What's the story?

Brazilian-born Spanish International and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has been handed an 8-game ban by the Spanish La Liga for this conduct during last week's clash against Barcelona.

In case you didn't know...

Diego Costa was given a red card by referee Gil Manzano in the 28th minute on Sunday at the Nou Camp, in a game that Barcelona went on to win 2-0, thanks to goals from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Costa was infuriated at the referee's decision and had to be escorted by Gerard Pique to get off the pitch.

Atletico had looked in command of the match till this incident, which titled the dynamics of the match in Barcelona's favour. Down to 10 men, they put up a stubborn defensive display, holding out the powerful Barcelona attackers till the 85th minute, when Suarez scored a long-range stunner to break the hearts of the Atletic faithful. A moment of sheer Lionel Messi brilliance saw Barcelona double their advantage in the very next minute.

OFFICIAL: Diego Costa has been handed an eight-game ban for his comments towards the referee in Atletico Madrid's game against Barcelona.• Four games for grabbing the referee• Four games for insulting the referee pic.twitter.com/cKaiuwu2FP

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) April 11, 2019

The heart of the matter

The former Chelsea striker, known for his hot-headed antics on the pitch, was given an 8 match ban-four games for grabbing the referee and another four for insulting him.

What's next?

Diego Simeone's Atletico is 2nd in the La Liga, 11 points behind leaders Barcelona. With just seven games left in the La Liga season, the Blaugrana seem to have an unassailable lead. Atleti are set to face off against Celta Vigo this Saturday as they look to