Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa, who has switched allegiance to represent Spain at this summer’s World Cup, has been the subject of praise from Atletico Madrid teammate Koke after the La Liga title chasers kept up their challenge with a 2-1 victory at Bilbao on Saturday.
The player, who some had suggested would be the final piece in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Selecao jigsaw, scored again to keep Atletico top and maintain a campaign for a first national title since 1996.
Koke told reporters: “We knew we were going into a difficult area of the game and we expected that. Diego Costa is spectacular. We saw this at the beginning of the season and let’s hope it continues until the end.”
As well as their league ambitions, Atletico also have to contend with Barcelona in the Champions League quarter finals, which get underway this week.
