Diego Costa handed eight match ban after insulting referee’s mother

He made a valiant attempt to escape the red card

Diego Costa has been handed an eight match ban after he was sent off for insulting the referee, more specifically the referee's mother during a defeat to Barcelona. It was confifmed in referee Gil Manzano's match report that the Atlético Madrid striker unleashed a barrage of abuse on Manzano after a decision went Barça's way, repeatedly shouting "Me cago en tu puta madre," which literally translates to "I shit on your whore mother." His attempt at avoiding an expulsion, having realised his mistake, was both laughable and admirable in equal measure. The notorious shithouse pleaded with the referee, claiming that he had referred to his own mother. https://twitter.com/MahaXVIII/status/1115331519168512000 But his efforts to undo the damage were in vain, as he was sent for an early bath in the 28th minute, leaving his teammates a man down for the remaining hour. The match remained goalless until the dying minutes, when Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi scored two late goals to secure all three goals for the home side. Costa has now been hit with an eight match ban: four for the insult and an additional four for putting his hands on the referee. Though he may not be that much of a miss - his goalscoring record this season pales in comparison to his prime years, with Costa bagging just five goals this term. Álvaro Morata will try to step up in his absence, though he too has struggled to score consistently since his loan move to Atléti.