• Chronicle.Athletic and Atlético hinder in San Mamés
  • Atlético.A nice dedication and a strange trident

Until yesterday he started the ball rolling in San Mamés, the last image of Diego Costa on a soccer field was that kick that he threw a few jerry cans of water into the Anfield gang. They were on their way to the bench as their team tried to survive the siege. He had to live the feat of his team on the bench. After the conquest, already showered and wearing a suit, he said goodbye to Liverpool, pretending to cough, when the coronavirus still seemed unknown to much of society.

A few weeks later, back to training after quarantine, Costa appeared at Cerro del Espino in Majadahonda just as fine and stylish as in his best times. The odd kilo below even his weight in that magical 2013/14 season, where he conquered LaLiga with his goals. Confinement, far from setting him off the right path, as might be feared, had transformed him. A methodical nutritional control and a physical preparation complementary to the already demanding duties at home of Professor Ortega. Again he remembered the fierce battering ram that Simeone had always fought for during that intense summer of 2017. Even from the first day he stepped foot on Stamford Bridge, to defend Chelsea's blue jersey .

So Costa, turned into one of the pleasant surprises of this atypical express preseason, leaving glimpses of yesteryear in the training matches, earned himself a starting position in Bilbao. In that dangerous red and white restart of LaLiga. He had not started out in the national championship since a harsh autumn night in Mendizorroza (October 29) where, like many of his teammates, he went unnoticed. Weeks later, he underwent surgery for a cervical disc herniation and had to start again. It was not until March that he played an official game.

Yesterday, dressed in pastel blue, he appeared at that same San Mamés, which was silent twice in 2014. Only now, that lively grandstand was asleep and turned off because of the Covid-19. After half an hour, almost as an instant response to Muniain's goal , Diego drew and scored again, eight months after that penalty scored against Valencia, at the Metropolitano. This time, he took advantage of Yeray's double error , both in the clearance and in his position and, also, he benefited, as on 15 other occasions, from Koke's periscope , his best partner on that last step to assault the opposite goal.

Diego Costa cheats Unai Simón on goal play.

Despite the lack of custom, even being the first rojiblanco goal after the pandemic, he celebrated it as if nothing had happened. His third goal of the season would have been one more goal if it had not been for a shirt waiting for him in the band. It had the number 14 and the name of Virginia. Virginia Torrecilla , the international female Atlético player, who underwent surgery a few weeks ago for a brain tumor. Raising her elastic she celebrated that special target. I have no words. You are incredible », answered the honoree almost instantly, through Twitter, thousands of kilometers away. In the athletic locker room they always admit that there is no better ally than Diego Costa to lift or keep their spirits up.

One goal every four games

His goal was only worth one point. And at game time, Simeone took advantage of this new avalanche of changes to give him a break. Together with Marcos Llorente and Carrasco they had formed an unprecedented and curious offensive trident. «Seeing what I see every day in training and knowing the squad as I know it, I interpret this situation to be so today. Marcos Llorente gave us good passages, good starts, good ones against some and he worked well defensively, ”argued the Argentine coach, who seems to have found a hidden facet of play in Llorente, for which a year ago they paid 40 million.

Between lack of marksmanship, physical problems and, finally, his operation, the second relevant intervention in two years, Costa has the worst scoring balance of his career. Three goals in 1,255 minutes . This is, more or less, somewhat every four games (and something). Although in LaLiga, with the claw in San Mamés, he already exceeds the two he scored last year. "With the passing of the minutes that Álvaro [Morata] and Diego [Costa] have, it is a possibility that they can live together on the field," reflected Simeone after that dangerous draw, number 13 of the season for his team, which keeps them outside the coveted squares of the Champions League.

Now, in two days, El Sadar awaits . Another theater to which silence makes him more vulnerable. There, except unforeseen, will be Costa. The future of the Athlete depends on his awakening.

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