Kevin Gameiro Admits Confidence Is High After Scoring Stunner in Europa League Win

Kevin Gameiro scored the only goal as Atletico Madrid beat FC Copenhagen 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Thursday night, helping them into the Europa League's last 16 - and a tie with Lokomotiv Moscow.

Gameiro seemed delighted after his seventh minute goal, and claims that it has improved his confidence in a season that has seen the Frenchman make only seven starts in the La Liga. 

He said to Marca after the game: "I'm fine physically, so when you score goals you get more confidence and can do more things. 

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"I have not scored many goals from distance with the left foot, so it's nice for the team and for me."

He was also positive about Atletico's performance, despite them only scoring the one goal: "We played well and handled the ball well. We played our game and the most important thing is that we advanced."

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Gameiro will now hope to start at the weekend against Sevilla as Atletico look to close the gap on leaders Barcelona. 

It will be difficult for the 30-year-old to gain a place though as new signing Diego Costa has made a good start on his return to Spain. 

There is also fellow countryman Antione Griezmann who has continued his great form over recent years with thirteen goals and nine assists to his name this season. 

Atletico will face Lokomotiv Moscow in the next round of the Europa League. The Russian side were able to cause an upset in the round of 32 with a 4-2 aggregate win over Nice, so Atletico cannot afford to underestimate them.