Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was full of praise for his players after the 2-1 win against Borussia Dortmund.
The Bianconeri took full advantage of first-half defensive mistakes made by Jurgen Klopp's men but made one of their own when Giorgio Chiellini slipped, allowing Marco Reus to race in on goal and restore parity.
But Allegri says his players improved in the second half, showing organisation in the defensive department.
"The only negative moment of the game was when [Giorgio] Chiellini slipped," Allegri said.
"But overall the players did what I wanted from them. I believe we played a good game, we struggled in the first half because they did well in intercepting all our passes.
"But in the second half their level dropped a little and we improved.
"The conceded goal is a problem [ahead of the second leg] and we could have done better on the counter but I am very happy with the performance of the lads.
"Playing a Last-16 Champions League game is never easy and usually they are decided by a single episode. These are games where one has to be patient and if you don't control the game then you have to defend with discipline.
"But this game was much-needed because in Italy we usually enjoy 70% of the possession and we're not used to defend in an organised well. But tonight, the lads did both things."
