Craig Shakespeare says Leicester City were unlucky during his side's 1-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón on Wednesday night.
Atlético were awarded a dubious penalty in the first half, when French forward Antoine Griezmann went down under the challenge of Marc Albrighton.
Replays show that the challenge occurred outside the area, but referee Jonas Eriksson pointed to the spot. Speaking during his post-match press conference, Shakespeare admitted the decision was a difficult one to take.
"I do think we were hard done by," he said. "I do think it was one of the major decisions in the game. It's a definite foul, but it's outside the box."
The result sees the Premier League side chasing just a one-goal deficit at the King Power Stadium and their chances of reaching a first-ever Champions League semi-final is still within the realms of possibility.
"We're still alive and we want to stay in the competition, but we know we have a challenge ahead against a very, very good team.
"It's going to be a difficult return leg. We have a very good record at the King Power and our fans quite enjoy these Champions League nights.
"We have to create more chances and attack a bit more than we did tonight. We're aware of what we need to do in the second leg."
Antoine Griezmann makes no mistake from the penalty spot as Atlético Madrid winners in Spain last night. Image: Francisco Seco/AP/Press Association Images
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