The Gelsenkirchen outfit nearly pulled off a major shock in the round of 16 as they beat Madrid 4-3 at the Bernabeu, yet their 2-0 first-leg defeat meant they narrowly missed out on a quarter-final place.
However, Nastasic feels Schalke bow out with their heads held high.
"I do not think Madrid underestimated us. We simply surprised them with our courage and high pressure," the 21-year-old told reporters.
"We knew they were not in the best of situations after two Liga games without winning. We all believed in ourselves and that we could win. And with each goal we scored, our confidence grew even bigger. We did what we do every Bundesliga game, keep going and never stopping.
"It's a shame we did not progress, but this win means a lot to our young team. We did know how to react after the final whistle. Should we be happy with the win or disappointed that we were out. In the end, a certain bitterness prevailed. We came close to scoring a fifth... We are proud of what we did, though. The only thing we regret is our first-leg performance."
Schalke's win resulted in boos and jeers for the Madrid players, with not even Cristiano Ronaldo escaping the fans' scrutiny, but Nastasic feels it is par for the course for a professional.
"It was impossible not to hear, see and feel the pressure the Madrid players were under. There were boos after the game, but that is the life of an athlete. One day you are the hero, the next day you suck at what you do... Everybody instantly forgets what you have achieved in the past.
"Even the man who has scored 30 goals in La Liga, scored three times against us and played a major role in Madrid's Champions League win last season got booed by the fans."
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