Rodrygo struck first as Real won the first-leg of their round of 16 2-1 on Tuesday night.
After being named man-of-the-match, he said afterwards: “I don't know how many I have now. It's an individual award, but it's very important because it rewards you for all the effort you put into the game. I'm pleased with my performance and with the team's performance. It was very difficult, but we managed to win.
“The result is very important. We knew we had to win at home, but the match was very difficult. We struggled at times, but the most important thing is that we won. Now we have to think about the return leg."
On his goal, Rodrygo also stated: “It was a very good move with Valverde. He understood my movement very well, attacking behind the back, then I dribbled inside and finished with my left foot. I do that a lot in training and it worked well today.”
On the rivalry with Atletico, he added: “It's always difficult. They caught us a little bit by surprise today. Normally, we attack all the time and they defend and today they had a bit more of the ball. We had to defend, but then we attacked well until Brahim's goal. Now we have to make the most of this lead.”