Why Gelson Martins' Performance vs. Kifisia Matters for Olympiacos

Olympiacos experienced a dramatic night at the Zirineio Kifisia Municipal Stadium. The Red-and-White side suffered when Kifisia equalized in the 90+1 minute, despite being two goals up; however, they didn't give up until the end.

With the match stalled, Tiknizyan fell to the ground and passed the ball to Freuler, who, with great composure, spotted Gelson Martins. The Portuguese winger let the ball roll to shake off his marker, spotted Ramirez a little farther from goal, took the shot, and sent it into the back of the net.

The entire Olympiacos bench jumped onto the field, with Martins turning into a hero once again and giving his team the three points. The Red-and-Whites were not at their best, did not impress, and were on the verge of being punished, but thanks to the Portuguese winger's goal, they kept adding to their nine consecutive wins across three different competitions.

It was Gelson Martins' first goal of the season. He previously scored at Leoforos, opening the scoring against Panathinaikos in the second round of the Super League playoffs.

This season, under Imanol Alguacil, the Portuguese winger usually comes off the bench in the league. He played 14 minutes against OFI, 31 against Levadiakos and 20 against Panathinaikos. Against Panathinaikos, he replaced Fortounis in the 38th minute, while against Kalamata he remained on the bench.

By contrast, he has started all three of Olympiacos' Europa League matches. After all, Martins knows Europe well. Before the Kifisia match, the last time he crowned himself the match-winner- that is, scored the winning goal for his team- was Dec. 9, 2025.

Olympiacos faced Kairat Almaty in the Champions League group stage in a decisive match. The Red-and-Whites seemed stuck, but Martins scored a great goal in the 73rd minute to give his team three hugely important points.

In fact, a few weeks later, he opened the scoring against Ajax, when Olympiacos experienced a magical night in Amsterdam and qualified for the playoffs of Europe's top club competition.

Gelson Martins proved at the Avenue that, whether he starts or comes on as a substitute, he remains an extremely valuable asset for Olympiacos and can make the difference at any moment.

After the game, the Portuguese said, "This opportunity came in the last minute, and we scored the goal that gave us the win, even though we suffered. The important thing is that we persisted and found the goal in the final phase of the match."