Bayer Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt believes that it "would be a dream" if his side can see off Atletico Madrid to reach the last eight of the Champions League.

Hakan Calhanoglu's 57th-minute strike was enough for Bayer to take a 1-0 lead into the second leg at the Vicente Calderon in two weeks' time, but Schmidt has suggested that Leverkusen's defensive set-up was key to victory.

He is quoted by UEFA.com as saying: "You could tell how much we looked forward to playing Champions League today. We take this competition very seriously. It was a first step and it would be a dream if we could reach the quarter-finals.

"We defended well, were compact and always in a position to help each other. We also made good attacking transitions and were very direct going forward."

Leverkusen's first-leg victory ended a run of seven consecutive defeats in the Champions League knockout phase.

Written by
Chris O'Keefe