Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp was a little perturbed by his side's profligacy in front of goal, after his the German champions missed wave after wave of chances in a 0-0 draw at Malaga, but still feels his side have the upperhand going into the second leg in Germany.
Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski in particular were guilty of missing several clearcut opportunities, giving Malaga real hope going into the second leg, especially if they can find an away goal.
"We didn't take our chances and had to stay calm in order to get a result in the end," Klopp told reporters. "We somehow lost a bit of determination towards the finish and Malaga started playing better.
"But we gave a good performance against a good team. We had the better chances and a 0-0 draw is a result we can live with.
"I told my team at halftime that they were playing great, but needed to improve in the finishing department. The players still have room for improvement in that regard.
"Malaga played as we expected them to, yet I think we managed to leave an impression with our performance.
"We played well against tough opposition. A lot of the things that we did, we did well but we lacked that final touch. That's the next step.
"However, even if we had scored a goal, I doubt it would have upset Malaga a great deal. We know what we have to do in the return leg. We want to win the return leg."
Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini was also reasonably satisfied with the end result of the first leg.
"It was a very good game from both teams, who each tried to get into the opposition box," he said. "The crowd were happy. Dortmund are an excellent side.
"If we look at their campaign in this UEFA Champions League season, they scored four goals at Ajax, also scored in Madrid and again away to Manchester City.
"Dortmund's team are all good young players with great technique and dynamism. It was an open game and the tie is absolutely open. Let's start well in Dortmund."
