Leverkusen beats Stuttgart 2-0 to climb to 6th in Bundesliga

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

BERLIN (AP) Julian Brandt led Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-0 win at Stuttgart on Sunday, lifting the squad to sixth in the Bundesliga, two points off the last Champions League-qualifying place.

Brandt opened the scoring in the 11th minute after Stefan Kiessling and Karim Bellarabi combined to carve apart the Stuttgart defense, and the 19-year-old led a counterattack and returned the favor for Bellarabi to seal the win four minutes after the break.

Brandt almost made it 3-0 in the 57th when he hit the post.

The visitors continued to profit from disarray in the Stuttgart defense. Vladlen Yurchenko struck the crossbar after good work from Bellarabi, then drew a good save from Stuttgart `keeper Przemyslaw Tyton from the rebound.

Borussia Dortmund was visiting Augsburg for the late game.