'I was sure the goal was going to come' - Diego Simeone lauds Julian Alvarez resilience as Atletico Madrid secure Champions League point in Germany

Simeone insisted he never doubted Alvarez would rediscover his scoring touch after the forward rescued a hard-earned draw for Los Rojiblancos against their Bundesliga hosts. Having won their opening two European fixtures, the German side led through Jamie Leweling's 36th-minute low strike. However, the Argentine levelled 80 seconds after the restart by sweeping home substitute Ademola Lookman's cross for his 50th goal for the club.

Becoming only the sixth player to reach a half-century of goals across all competitions under his compatriot also ended the striker's drought stretching back to a Champions League clash against Arsenal on April 29.

Any hopes the visitors had of pushing for a winner were dashed in the 64th minute when Morten Hjulmand was sent off for a reckless challenge on impressive midfielder Angelo Stiller, though Stuttgart defender Jeff Chabot headed Maximilian Mittelstadt's corner wide late on.

Addressing his forward's equaliser and the red card that forced his side to defend for the final 26 minutes, Simeone told Movistar: "I was sure the goal was going to come. We got the 1-1, and we couldn't keep the game where we wanted because of the sending off, which affected us.

"The sending off was fair. I always tell the boys: whenever you leave the floor, you're close to a red card."

Prior to opening his account for the campaign, Alvarez had angered sections of the club's fanbase during the summer by attempting to force through a transfer to La Liga rivals Barcelona, only for the hierarchy to block an exit.

Although he netted 10 times during last season's run to the Champions League semi-finals, his sole contribution in Europe this term before Tuesday was an assist in an opening-day defeat at Liverpool on September 9.

Backing the striker to kick on after his tireless recent displays, full-back Alejandro Grimaldo added: "He's been creating a lot of chances in recent games. He's our best player. He needed that goal, and we hope this will be the first of a lot of goals for him this year."

Securing a draw in Germany leaves Atletico sitting 15th in the league-phase standings on four points, having followed their loss at Anfield by beating Manchester United last week. Simeone's men will now turn their attention back to domestic La Liga action while hoping their talisman builds on his return to the scoresheet. A demanding European test awaits next when they face Bayern Munich on November 3.