'Stop talking now!'- Barcelona star's words towards Diego Costa in the aftermath of the red card revealed
What's the story?
Barcelona star Gerard Pique seemed to calm Diego Costa down when the Atletico Madrid striker got the red card in the first half of the match.
In case you didn't know...
Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid in the La Liga last night to extend their lead to 11 points in the league table. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were the goalscorers as Atletico failed to prevent the loss despite the heroics of Jan Oblak, who made numerous saves.
During the initial phase of the match, the teams look evenly matched as Diego Simeone's men tried their best to dominate possession and trouble the rearguard of the Catalan giants. But the Diego Costa red card incident obviously tilted the game in the favor of the Blaugrana, who dominated the second half.
Luis Suarez netted the first goal of the match and Messi doubled his lead which took the Argentine's goal tally to 33 goals in the La Liga to extend his huge lead in the race for the European Golden Shoe. Atletico goalkeeper, Oblak, was the only thing which kept the score even till the final phases of the game.
With seven games to go, the La Liga title is almost over and Barcelona are on the verge of retaining their crown.
The heart of the matter
Around the 30th minute of the game, Costa was sent off for his bad demeanor when he abused the match official. According to the referee's match report, Costa shouted a Spanish insult which is the main reason for the direct red card. It was the fourth red card in his career and the Atletico striker was furious with the decision.
Despite the red card, Costa reacted angrily and was adamant in proving a point with the referee. Gerard Pique immediately came to the rescue of the Spanish sharpshooter.
According to Spanish media outlet AS, Pique said: "Stop talking now! What do you want, a four-match ban?"
Costa seemed to calm down after the words of Barcelona center-back and witnessed his team's defeats from the stands.
What's next?
Atletico Madrid has little to play for in the season and they will host Celta Vigo next weekend in the league.
Barcelona will travel to face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League.