Gelson takes a step forward after his first start for Atletico Madrid

Gelson Martins had a great opportunity to start for Atletico Madrid  against Sant Andreu in the Copa del Rey match this past Tuesday.

Coach Diego Simeone was full of praise for the Portuguese forward in his post-match press conference, after he scored the game's only goal.

"I liked his generosity when he had the ball," he said.

"His speed and insistence made our transitions quick and it was a step forward for him, without a doubt."

Since making the move to Madrid, Gelson has only managed to play a combined total of 59 minutes for his club divided amongst three games throughout all of LaLiga Santander - Valencia, Rayo Vallecano and Huesca. In every game, he was a substitute and was unable to show those characteristics that led him to sign for the club in the summer.

However in this match, Gelson was Gelson. Simeone gave him the opportunity to demonstrate that talent that is demanded by the Argentine coach and the Portuguese international proved his worth. In particular, Simeone celebrated the fact that Gelson was able to take a step forward in adapting to the team and assisting them with attacking their opponents.

Gelson knew he had a real opportunity against Sant Andreu and that is why he wanted to take advantage of it since the first whistle. The former Sporting player was the most prominent and was the most persistent in trying to find a goal for his team.

Throughout the match, the Portuguese was the Atletico player who had the most shots in a match so far this year. In total, he managed six strikes at goal with one proving decisive, handing Los Rojiblancos the victory.

For all players at this level, each game is an opportunity to demonstrate talent and on Tuesday, Gelson knew how to take advantage of it. Now, Diego Simeone only expects that he does the same thing with the upcoming games.