Martinez relieved to end goal drought

Jackson Martinez hopes to go on a goal scoring run after ending his recent drought as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over Astana in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Colombia international had failed to score in his last eight appearances for Diego Simeone’s side and had only found the back of the net once since arriving from Porto.

After missing a couple of early chances at Vicente Calderon, the striker finally ended his wait for a goal, firing past Nenad Eric with the aid of a deflection off Denys Dedechko.

Martinez’s 29th-minute strike came after Saul Niguez had broken the deadlock, with OIiver Torres and a Dedechko own goal completing the win in Group C.

“All the team are delighted for me, I have worked so hard to help the team out,” the striker told beIN Sports. “Scoring was like being liberated, after what had happened in recent matches. 

“I stayed calm even though I wasn’t scoring, and now I hope to keep on scoring.”

Simeone was delighted to see Martinez on the scoresheet after a tough time in front of goal and praised his side for moving top of the group on goal difference.

He added: “Jackson is a vital player for us, he is a striker and so it’s always good for him to score.

“I’m happy with the win, because once again we have gone top of a difficult and complex group. I think that the team is growing on an individual level and on a collective level.”