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Diego Costa Scores 4 Goals, Atletico Madrid Crush Real Madrid 7-3 in 2019 ICC
July 27, 2019
Atletico Madrid kept their chances of winning the 2019 International Champions Cup alive with a 7-3 destruction of rival Real Madrid on Friday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Los Colchoneros scored twice in the opening 10 minutes and four times before the half-hour mark to make quick work of Los Blancos. The victory leaves them alongside Arsenal, Benfica and Manchester United as the clubs still in championship contention.
Diego Costa scored a hat trick before halftime en route to four goals, while Joao Felix, Angel Correa and Vitolo also found the net for Atletico in the blowout.
Nacho, Karim Benzema and Javier Hernandez Cabrera tallied goals for Real Madrid, but none of those tallies came until the result was no longer in doubt.
It took less than a minute for the American edition of the Madrid Derby to see its first goal as Atletico rapidly secured the lead.
Felix pushed forward aggressively and laid off a pass for Costa, who took a couple touches before taking a shot that deflected off the foot of Real captain Sergio Ramos and past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Los Colchoneros continued their impressive display inside the attacking third as they increased their advantage in the eighth minute.
This time Felix was on the receiving end of a well-timed pass, this time a cross from Saul, and he made no mistake to slot home his first goal in an Atletico jersey.
The intensity that existed in the match's early stages evaporated after the second goal, and the reigning UEFA Super Cup champions took complete control of the fixture.
Correa provided a clinical finish in the 19th minute as he took one touch to wrangle in a high pass from Koke and in the same motion turned to blast a shot past Courtois, who was left out to dry on several occasions as part of a concerning performance by the Real back line.
Costa added his second goal of the opening half as he unleashed a heavy strike off another assist from Saul, who outmuscled Luka Modric for a 50/50 ball in the midfield.
The 30-year-old Spanish international secured his hat trick from the penalty spot.
Costa added his fourth goal in the 51st minute but was shown a red card for a retaliatory tackle.
In all, five goals were scored between the sides in the second half as what could have been an intriguing preseason clash started to look more like a defense-optional scrimmage.
Looking ahead, Atletico Madrid will conclude the International Champions Cup against Italian giants Juventus on Aug. 10 at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Los Colchoneros will take on the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday at Orlando City Stadium in Florida before heading back to Europe, though.
Next up for Real Madrid is the 2019 Audi Cup in Germany. Los Blancos will face Tottenham Hotspur in the tournament semifinals Tuesday, and they'll be seeking a major bounce-back performance.