Kevin Volland: The win was important for our heads
Bayer Leverkusen's win over Atlético Madrid is important from a mental perspective, says Kevin Volland.
Bayer Leverkusen's Kevin Volland believes Wednesday's 2-1 win over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League is important for 'Die Werkself' in more than one way.
Volland, who scored Leverkusen's second goal, told UEFA.com:
"It was so important for us to win tonight, when you look at the group we were in need of points. It was also an important game for our heads, to prove we can compete with teams like Atlético.
"We wanted to be compact, relentless in defence and play our way out of tight situation which we did really well tonight. Over the course of 90 minutes we did a lot of things right, but the yard stick is high and we have to keep working hard to match it."
Leverkusen remain rock bottom on Group D despite taking their first win, but now have the same amount of points as third-placed Lokomotiv Moscow.
"We wanted to put pressure on Moscow and I think we've done that by picking up three points tonight. Now what counts is winning there, but that will be tough," Volland said.
Volland and his teammates face Lokomotiv in their next Champions League game on November 26.