Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has revealed that it was important for the confidence of his defence that they kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 away win against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.

Neuer was pleased that he did not have many saves to make in the game and was particularly glad at their improvement in the first half.

"It was important for us to keep a clean sheet today," he told UEFA.com. "We didn't give them a lot, I think we only gave Plzen three shots on goal, which was good.

"We have struggled in the first halves of games, but even though other teams might not have the same technical qualities, other aspects come into it. When teams try to play against us, we've often put in some great performances.

"We have some problems with that at the moment. We always want to improve, we're professionals, and we'll try to do that."

Bayern's win qualified them for the second round after just four games.