Simeone delighted as Julián Álvarez scores his first goal of the season for Atlético

Atlético Madrid head coach Diego Simeone was thrilled for Julián Álvarez after the Argentine forward ended his goal drought this season.

Álvarez scored his first goal of the campaign as Atlético drew 1-1 away to Stuttgart in the Champions League.

The hosts went ahead at the MHPArena through Jamie Leweling, before Álvarez levelled early in the second half, meeting Ademola Lookman's cross with a classy left-footed finish.

The goal took Álvarez's Champions League tally to 26, cementing his place as the fourth-highest Argentine scorer in the competition's history, behind Lionel Messi (129), Sergio Agüero (41) and Lautaro Martínez (27).

With Atlético reduced to 10 men after Morten Hjulmand was shown a red card in the 64th minute, Simeone was full of praise for Álvarez, whose performances had drawn criticism from supporters in the opening weeks of the season.

"He scored a great goal and I'm really happy for him. We need him a lot if we are to reach the targets we have set ourselves," Simeone said after the match.

Atlético, who had conceded a total of 23 goals in their last 12 Champions League away games and kept a clean sheet in just one of those matches, stood out for the resilience they showed after Hjulmand's dismissal.

Simeone said he was pleased with his side's reaction: "At the end of the first half and in the second half, with both 11 and 10 men, what we saw on the pitch was exactly our identity: a team that fights, works hard, stays humble and makes great sacrifices. We are trying to take firm steps towards the targets the club has set. After conceding, the team regrouped, and that allowed us to get into the game. We knew the goal would come, and after the red card we had to rebalance the game."

Atlético Madrid, who have collected 4 points from their first 3 Champions League matches, host Bayern Munich in their next game.