| ||||
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (CNN) -- German international striker Oliver Neuville blasted Bayer Leverkusen into the Champions League final in a tense battle with Manchester United.
Neuville's equaliser secured a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen on Tuesday night, with Bayer going through on away goals following last week's 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.
But there was bad news for German coach Rudi Voeller, watching from the stands, when international centre-back Jens Nowotny was carried off with suspected knee ligament damage. If confirmed he would almost certainly miss the World Cup.
Neuville, who had snatched Bayer's second goal in the first leg, struck again on Wednesday in first half injury time, crashing in a loose ball from the edge of the area.
| |||||||||
Ireland captain Roy Keane had given United the lead in the 28th minute, sliding the ball in from a tight angle after skipping round the goalkeeper.
Both sides came close to winning the tie outright in the second half before a full house of 22,500 fans, but Bayer were generally the brighter side and deserved their first final in Europe's top club competition.
They will play the winner of Real Madrid and Barcelona who complete their semifinal on Wednesday. Real won the first leg 2-0 away. The final is at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on May 15.
It was a night of mixed emotions for Voeller as he weighed up his squad options. Key midfielder Michael Ballack starting the match despite an ankle injury.