MANCHESTER, England (Ticker) -- Taking advantage of Manchester United's suspect defense, Michael Ballack and substitute Oliver Neuville on Wednesday gave Bayer Leverkusen the inside track to the Champions League final.

Ballack collected his sixth Champions League goal of the season and Neuville found the net three minutes after coming off the bench as Bayer Leverkusen rallied twice to gain a 2-2 road tie against Manchester United.

If the two-leg semifinal finishes in a tie, then the team with the most away goals advances to the final against either Real Madrid or Barcelona at Glasgow, Scotland on May 15. So Leverkusen's tallies at Old Trafford could prove vital.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored United's opener after 29 minutes. Ruud van Nistelroy recorded his 10th Champions League goal of the season, a penalty kick, in the 67th minute.

The second leg will be played at Leverkusen on Tuesday.