BERLIN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Title holders Bayern Munich made it five wins from six Group A after second-half goals from Niklas Sule and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting downed Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Bayern had already booked its berth in the knockout stage ahead of schedule, but the defending champions still assumed control from the whistle.
The Bavarians controlled possession but lacked in penetration, whereas Moscow showed no interest in pushing forward.
The first clear-cut opportunity of the encounter came with 39 minutes played, when Thomas Muller hit the side netting from 13 meters.
At the other end of the pitch, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer wasn't called into action once in the first 45 minutes, and both sides took a goalless draw into half-time.
After the restart, Bayern increased the pressure and tested the visitors' goalkeeper Guilherme, but neither Sule nor Choupo-Moting was able to break the deadlock despite promising chances.
Bayern's efforts were rewarded at the hour mark when Douglas Costa's corner found Sule, who nodded home the opener.
In the 73rd minute, Lokomotiv Moscow approached Bayern's goal for the first time as Maciej Rybus unleashed a free-kick which still did not force Neuer into action.
The hosts eventually killed the game seven minutes later after Choupo-Moting latched onto Serge Gnabry's through-ball to make it 2-0 from a tight angle.
With the result, the German giants finish Group A on top with 16 points, followed by Atletico Madrid (9 points), Salzburg (4 points) and Lokomotiv Moscow (3 points).
"We are of course delighted as we wanted to complete the group stage with a win. We played against a defensively-minded team but once Niklas Sule broke the deadlock I knew we would win the game as we staged a faultless defensive performance," Bayern coach Hansi Flick said. Enditem
