Alonso disappointed by Leverkusen's naivety in loss at 10-man Atletico

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso was disappointed at his side's naivety in their 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Leverkusen had initially gone a goal up against 10-man Atletico, but surrendered their lead in the second half and had a player sent off themselves, before Julian Alvarez won it late on.

That result put an end to an 11-match winning streak for Leverkusen and leaves them sixth in the league phase with 13 points.

While they are still set to avoid a play-off spot and progress straight to the round of 16, Alonso believes that his young team have plenty to learn ahead of the knockout stages and will take plenty from the defeat.

"I think when you're competing at the highest level you have to learn from these experiences," Alonso told Movistar Plus.

"In these situations, it's not just football that counts, it's also the maturity that we have at that moment and today I think we lacked that point at the highest level and we have to improve that if we want to compete in these matches.

"We're still in the group stage but if you're in the round of 16, in the quarter-final, especially when you play away from home, you have to learn from these moments.

"Understand what it is that you need, not only in the game itself but the game's energy, reading the game and learning what to do when you're a bit overwhelmed by the situation, how to react.

"It's very easy to say it but the best thing is when you live it on the pitch that's where you learn how to read it, which sometimes is complicated. For us it's a good experience to be competing at such a high level."

Leverkusen round off their league phase in the Champions League with a game at home to Sparta Prague next Wednesday.