Diego Costa nets on return in easy Copa del Rey win
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| Diego Costa |
Atletico Madrid put one foot in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey thanks to a 4-0 first-leg win at Lleida Esportiu, with Diego Costa scoring as a substitute on his return before giving them an injury scare.
It was by no means a vintage Atletico display for much of the first half, as they afforded their modest opposition several chances and looked flat going forward.
But Diego Godin headed them into the lead just after the half-hour mark - arguably against the run of play - and Fernando Torres was also on target four minutes later with an easy finish at the end of a fine passing move.
With Atletico's intensity dropping again after the break, Simeone threw on Costa and Vitolo for their first appearances since their respective moves from Chelsea and Sevilla.
And Costa made an almost instant impact, producing a smart finish - and taking a knock in the process - from close range five minutes later.
A deflected Antoine Griezmann free-kick in stoppage time added further gloss to the scoreline, Marc Trilles sent off for a second yellow card for conceding the set-piece.
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