Schalke go into the second leg as favorites after scoring the all-important away goal in a 1-1 victory over Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder-powered Galatasaray in the Champions League last 16 first leg.
Jermaine Jones cancelled out an early strike from Burak Yilmaz to give Schalke the result, which satisfied their players as well as their coach.
"A 1-1 draw is a good result for Schalke," striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar said. "It was a good performance by us.
"Galatasaray were playing on the counter-attack, while we took a grip on the game and applied a lot of forward pressure.
"It is just a pity we couldn't score another goal. The chances were there, we just didn't take them. We could have left as the winning team.
"But tonight's game gave us a lot of confidence for the return. We arrived here without any tentativeness, immediately taking the initiative. It was a pity we fell behind, especially from a mistake on our part -- a lateral pass being intercepted."
Teammate Julian Draxler was also happy with his side's performance. "I think we did well here in Istanbul," he said. "It's always a difficult place to come, with the atmosphere and the stadium -- it's unbelievable. We did well as a team, got a good result and we can look forward to the second leg.
"It (the result) means we can wait a little bit at home, because Galatasaray have to score. We have to look to punish them on the counter-attack because we can't just defend. We have to try and score. It will be difficult but we can do it.
"We have to get through the second leg. After that, you never know. Two years ago we made it through to the semi-finals. The Champions League is different -- all footballers want to play in games like these."
Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim acknowledged the fact that a 1-1 draw was probably the right result based on the balance of play.
"We went in front with an early goal because of our good play, but we unfortunately made a mistake just before halftime that led to Schalke's equaliser," Terim said. "We had previously had chances to score a second goal, although Schalke also had openings in the second half to go in front themselves. It was an even game."
Schalke manager Jens Keller was proud of his side after the Germans had not been given much of a chance against a strengthened Galatasaray, especially considering their form in the Bundesliga.
"My side put in a great performance," Keller said. "We were compact and determined and played as a team. We created a few chances, but unfortunately missed a couple as well.
"It's important for us to experience these kinds of games again to bring back a sense of security within the team.
"It was a very aggressive and determined performance. We worked hard and were compact. We played well and I'm very happy with my team's display."
