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Infuriated Costa hits out at constant media criticism
BARCELONA: Striker Diego Costa has said he is unfairly criticised by the Spanish media and feels it happens because he is not Spanish by birth and does not play
BARCELONA: Striker Diego Costa has said he is unfairly criticised by the Spanish media and feels it happens because he is not Spanish by birth and does not play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.
An injury to Alvaro Morata saw Costa come off the bench in the first half of Spain’s 2-0 win away at Belgium in an international friendly on Thursday. Shortly after coming on, he provided the lay off for David Silva’s opening goal.
Costa has scored just one goal in 11 appearances for Spain since switching nationalities from his native Brazil in 2014, but defended his performance against Belgium.
“They criticise me a lot and if I played for Real Madrid or Barca and was a natural Spaniard they’d say I had a good game, possibly my best for the team,” Costa said on Thursday.
DONNARUMMA BECOMES ITALY’S YOUNGEST GOALIE
MILAN: Seventeen-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma became the youngest goalkeeper to play for Italy when he appeared in the 3-1 friendly defeat at home to France on Thursday.
The AC Milan goalkeeper, also the youngest player to be picked in any position for 105 years, was a halftime substitute for 38-year-old Gianluigi Buffon, himself Italy’s most capped player who was making his 162nd appearance.
Italy, playing their first game under new coach Giampiero Ventura, were trailing 2-1 at Bari’s Stadio San Nicola when Donnarumma entered the fray but he had little to do until he smothered the ball at Andre-Pierre Gignac’s feet.
AGUERO BANNED FOR THREE MATCHES
LONDON: Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will miss the derby against Manchester United after receiving a three-match ban from the English Football Association for elbowing an opponent.
The FA said it was able to retrospectively punish Aguero for violent conduct in last weekend’s win against West Ham because match officials didn’t see the incident but it was caught on camera.
Aguero swung a left elbow toward the face of West Ham defender Winston Reid in the 76th minute of City’s 3-1 Premier League win on Sunday.
