Bochum stun Mainz as Leipzig fight back with 10 men

VfL Bochum produced one of the biggest surprises of the German Cup second round by defeating Mainz 2–0, while RB Leipzig came from behind to beat Rot-Weiss Essen 2–1 despite playing with 10 men. Eintracht Frankfurt and Augsburg also secured their places in the round of 16 after victories on Tuesday night.

Bochum took the lead immediately after half-time when Christian Rasmussen found the net in the 46th minute. The hosts continued to frustrate their Bundesliga opponents and doubled their advantage through Philipp Hofmann in the 75th minute. Mainz struggled to respond, with Bochum holding firm to complete an impressive cup upset and eliminate their top-flight rivals.

Leipzig faced a much more difficult challenge away to Rot-Weiss Essen. Lucas Brumme gave the hosts the lead in the ninth minute, and Leipzig’s task became harder when Nicolas Seiwald was sent off after receiving a second yellow card just before half-time. However, Christoph Baumgartner turned the match around with two goals in the 78th and 82nd minutes, securing Leipzig’s progression despite their numerical disadvantage.

Eintracht Frankfurt also advanced with a convincing 3–1 away win over Hamburg. Robin Koch opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Jonathan Burkardt and Younes Ebnoutalib added two more goals in quick succession. Terem Moffi pulled one back for Hamburg in the 79th minute, but Frankfurt comfortably saw out the result. Meanwhile, Augsburg overcame third-tier side Sonnenhof Großaspach 4–2. Rodrigo Ribeiro scored twice in the first half, but the hosts fought back to level the score before second-half goals from Arijon Ibrahimović and Anton Kade secured Augsburg’s place in the next round.