"We could even have won by a higher margin but their goalkeeper pulled off two outstanding saves to deny (Antoine) Griezmann," said Simeone. "It is important to have belief when you play away from home, and I thought we had that in abundance. Leverkusen fought their way back into the game in the second half but overall it is a very satisfying evening for us." "They came back in the second half but we kept at our plan until the end." "Leverkusen have nothing to lose in the second leg, so we need to be careful," warned Simeone.

Source: The Star February 21, 2017 22:53 UTC