Leverkusen seal Champions League spot with win over Hertha Berlin

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Bayer Leverkusen secured their place in the group stage of the Champions League next season with a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin, who still hope to join them in European football's elite club competition next season.

Julian Brandt and Lars Bender gave Leverkusen what seemed to be a comfortable two-goal lead, but that was halved by Vedad Ibisevic.

Only the heroics of goalkeeper Rune Allmenning Jarstein saved Hertha from a heavier defeat, though, as Leverkusen put eight points between themselves and their hosts with two games of the season left, meaning they are certain to finish third this season.

The defeat also saw Hertha fall out of the top four on goal difference behind Borussia Monchengladbach.

Leverkusen raced in front within two minutes, with Brandt scoring for the sixth game in a row.

Hakan Calhanoglu's ball was helped on by Charles Aranguiz to Brandt, who continued his recent rich vein of form with a cool finish.

It was a good omen for Leverkusen too, since Brandt's previous eight goals this season have all come in wins for the Werkself and there was little to suggest another was not on its way as Roger Schmidt's men continued to attack.

The Hertha defence gifted Leverkusen their second goal, with two failed attempts to clear Calhanoglu's free-kick in the 16th minute actually contriving to tee the ball up for Bender to poke in from close range.

Berlin threatened to make a game of it five minutes later when Ibisevic rose above Bender to head in from seven yards out from Peter Pekarik's cross, but that proved to be only a rare interruption in an otherwise one-sided encounter.

Indeed, had it not been for the heroics of Hertha goalkeeper Jarstein, Berlin could have been down and out before the interval.

Aranguiz's shot brought a top-drawer save out of Jarstein, with Aranguiz leading the deserved applause for the Hertha custodian for his one-handed stop.

Jarstein then kept out Karim Bellarabi's angled shot, with help from the post, while another exceptional stop from the Norwegian again denied Bellarabi what seemed to be a certain goal.

Substitute Stefan Kiessling was next to be denied by the last line of the Berlin defence, but his interventions were not ultimately enough as Hertha were beaten and Leverkusen celebrated clinching their berth in the top three.