Leverkusen UCL knockout hopes still alive with Lokomotiv scalp

Cape Town - An own goal and a Sven Bender wonder strike guaranteed Bayer Leverkusen European football as they secured a third spot in the Group D of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow.

Rifat Zhemaledtinov was unfortunate to gift the away side a 1-0 lead within 11 minutes of the first-half as Russian put the ball into the back of his own net.

This was the seventh time during this campaign that Bayer have benefited from the opposition scoring own goals and five of the last seven in the Champions League.

Bayer did not take their foot off the pedal as they got the second goal through a ferocious Bender strike.

The central defender hit his volley from the left side of the penalty area perfectly and the unstoppable effort flew into the right corner of the net.

The German giants will now face Juventus at home on Wednesday, December 11.