Kiev bring Leverkusen down to earth with 4-2 win

Dynamo Kiev stormed back from a goal down to beat 10-man Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 and go top of Group B in a pulsating Champions League match on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian champions dominated much of the first half and took a 30th minute lead when Brazilian midfielder Diogo Rincon curled a shot past Bayer keeper Hans-Joerg Butt.

Kiev failed to build on their lead and soon paid the price as the Germans, who began their Champions League campaign with a sparkling 3-0 win over Real Madrid two weeks ago, took complete control at the start of the second half.

Ukraine substitute Andriy Voronin equalised with a rebound from close range just minutes after coming on for Brazilian forward Franca and Leverkusen captain Jens Nowotny put the Germans 2-1 up with a low shot in the 68th minute.

However, Rincon levelled just a minute later and substitute Florin Cernat restored Dynamo's lead in the 73rd minute to the delight of a 83,000-strong home crowd at the Olympic stadium.

Voronin's stay on the pitch did not last as the Leverkusen striker was dismissed after a bad tackle in the 83rd minute.

Cernat missed an open goal from 10 metres after rounding Butt, but the Romanian made amends in the last minute of stoppage time with Dynamo's fourth.

Dynamo coach Josef Sabo paid tribute to his team for their fighting spirit.

"Obviously I enjoyed the match just as much as all our fans in the stadium," said Sabo, who guided Dynamo to their ninth consecutive win in domestic and European competition since taking over from Alexei Mikhailichenko six weeks ago.

"But the most important thing for me was the way my team came back after going 2-1 down. We showed real character."

Leverkusen coach Klaus Augenthaler said: "It was a good football match but a bad result for us. But my players have nothing to be ashamed of. They showed everyone that you can come here and play against Dynamo on even terms."

Dynamo were awarded a 3-0 win after their first group game at AS Roma was abandoned at halftime with Kiev 1-0 up when the referee was injured by an object thrown from the stands.