Berbatov haunts Leverkusen as Spurs progress

Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup with a 1-0 group win over Bayer Leverkusen.

All eyes were on the returning Dimitar Berbatov, who joined Tottenham from Leverkusen in May for 10.9 million pounds, and the Bulgarian international duly delivered, scoring the winning goal against his old employer.

It was a third successive European win for Tottenham - following victories over Besiktas and FC Bruges - and the English side have qualification wrapped up with one game to spare.


Tottenham coach Martin Jol made six changes to his team that drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers over the weekend with England's flying winger Aaron Lennon, French full back Pascal Chimbonda and compatriot Steed Malbranque all starting.

Republic of Ireland star Robbie Keane partnered Berbatov, who scored 69 goals in 154 league appearances for Leverkusen, in attack with Mido and Jermaine Defoe missing out.

The English visitors needed just a point to qualify but clearly did not come here for a draw pushing forward whenever possible.

The first real opening came as late as the 33rd minute with Berbatov's fierce shot punched out by goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt.

It was a warning sign and the goal arrived two minutes later with Lennon using an ocean of space to race in behind a stagnant Bayer backline.

On the run Lennon stabbed a shot goalwards and Butt deflected the ball into the path of Berbatov who rolled into an empty net a metre from goal.

Leverkusen, Champions League finalists in 2002, had won just four games this season and it was easy to see why as they failed to create a noteworthy chance in the first half and were jeered off.

"We were very poor tonight and lucky it was just 1-0 in the end," admitted Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe. "We lost to a better team - they showed their quality."

The hosts were much better in the second half and former German international Paul Freier almost equalised in the 52nd minute but Paul Robinson used his legs to stop the low shot.

Berbatov, who could easily have had a hat-trick, then missed a great chance failing to tap in a Keane cross centimetres from the goal line.

Keane squandered another chance before Bernd Schneider, part of Germany's World Cup squad, rattled the post at the other end.

In the closing stages it was Spurs who came closest with Keane, Mido and Chimbonda all squandering clear-cut chances.