In the second round of the DFB Cup, Bundesliga side RB Leipzig secured a 2-1 away victory against Third Division club Rot-Weiss Essen, advancing to the eighth finals.
The home side took the lead early in the 9th minute. A long ball delivered by RB defender Castello Lukeba resulted in a short pass back to Leipzig goalkeeper Örjan Nyland. Nyland subsequently slipped, allowing Lucas Brumme to intercept the ball. Brumme skillfully bypassed the keeper and slotted the ball into the net to give Leipzig the advantage.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 44th minute when Nicolas Seiwald received a yellow-red card for a foul on Essen midfielder Ruben Reisig. Leipzig were forced to continue the remainder of the game with one player suspended.
The equilibrium was restored in the 78th minute when Christoph Baumgartner equalized for the visitors. David Raum provided the assist, supplying Antonio Nusa down the left flank. Nusa battled against two defenders before crossing into the center, where Baumgartner managed to shoot and level the score. Baumgartner completed his brace just four minutes later, scoring the decisive goal in the 82nd minute. From a free-kick cross by Raum, Baumgartner, who had run from behind, was entirely unmarked and headed the ball into the top right corner, securing the 2-1 final score.
In a parallel fixture, Second Division team VfL Bochum defeated Bundesliga club 1. FSV Mainz 05 by 2-0, also moving into the eighth finals.
Mainz struggled to generate clear scoring opportunities. The hosts held possession at times but rarely found a way to genuinely challenge the Bochum defense. The visitors mounted an energetic performance, refusing to acknowledge the difference between the leagues. Bochum effectively capitalized on their chances and maintained their lead until the final whistle. Mainz’s periods of good play could not translate into goals, leading to their elimination from the competition.
The match began relatively shortly after the halftime break, with Christian Rasmussen finding the net in the 46th minute following a pass from Gerrit Holtmann. The ball was unintentionally deflected by Sano and crossed the line. Philipp Hofmann doubled the lead in the 75th minute during a swift counterattack. Mansour Ouro-Tagba set up the goal by piercing the defense toward Jarne Steuckers, who then provided the assist to Hofmann.
Furthermore, other results delivered: SG Sonnenhof Großaspach defeated FC Augsburg 4-2, and Hamburger SV lost to Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3.
