Calhanoglu confident Leverkusen can progress

Bayer Leverkusen matchwinner Hakan Calhanoglu is confident of UEFA Champions League progression after beating Atletico Madrid 1-0.

Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid shows they have the quality to go further in the UEFA Champions League, says Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Turkey international struck the only goal of the game at the BayArena on Wednesday as Roger Schmidt’s side seized the first-leg advantage in the last-16 tie.

Having received a sumptuous backheel from Karim Bellarabi, Calhanoglu fired high above Moya to break the deadlock after 57 minutes, handing the Bundesliga outfit a narrow advantage heading in to the second leg.

“We know how strong Atletico are at home,” he said. “But if we play like we did today, we will be in a good position to progress.

“We have proven our strength in all Champions League matches so far and today was no different. “

Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller echoed Calhanoglu’s sentiments and praised the work done by Schmidt to achieve such an impressive win.

“If you beat a classy side like Atletico, it’s a definite achievement,” he said.

“It will be tough in the second leg, but after our latest matches [in the Bundesliga], which were difficult for us at times, we did an outstanding job. Everyone was fully focused from the first to the last second.”