Bayer Leverkusen edge out Borussia Dortmund to reach DFB Cup quarter-finals

Ibrahim Maza scored the only goal as Bayer Leverkusen won at Borussia Dortmund to reach the 2025/26 DFB Cup quarter-finals.

Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Maza 34'

Dortmund had won 2-1 at Leverkusen in the Bundesliga just days earlier, but fell behind 34 minutes into a high-octane first half on home soil. Maza took advantage of some hesitant defending to break the deadlock, prompting a sustained spell of BVB pressure. Karim Adeyemi twice had presentable chances to level before the break, but could not find the target with either attempt.

0 - 1

(0 - 1)

Dortmund

FINAL

Leverkusen

DFB Pokal
Round of 16 Round of 16 Signal Iduna Park

Full-time! Dortmund 0-1 Leverkusen

Leverkusen hold off Dortmund to reach the quarter-finals. It just wasn't BVB's day, who dominated for long spells, but could not find an answer to Maza's decisive first-half goal.

© IMAGO/pepphoto / Sascha Weiz

90'

+ 5

Side netting!

Adeyemi beats his man at the back post as Brandt sends in a cross, but his header drops the wrong side of the upright.

90'

+ 3

Defensive reinforcement

Hjulmand sends on defender Loïc Badé in a bid to hold off Dortmund. Former BVB midfielder Jonas Hofmann makes way.

90'

+ 3

Substitution

Loïc Badé

Jonas Hofmann

90'

Six added minutes

Can gets a ticking-off as the fourth official's board goes up to indicate another six minutes...

90'

Yellow card

Emre Can

87'

Tillman booked

The substitute goes into the book after catching the ankle of Bensebaini.

87'

Yellow card

Malik Tillman

85'

Final BVB change

Ramy Bensebaini replaces Svensson in the left-back position. The Algerian loves a penalty, if Dortmund do manage to take this one the distance...

85'

Substitution

Ramy Bensebaini

Daniel Svensson

83'

Like-for-like switch

Fresh legs on the Leverkusen left as Nathan Tella replaces Poku.

83'

Substitution

Nathan Tella

Ernest Poku

82'

No joy

Another corner produces another acrobatic attempt, but Guirassy's bicycle-kick lacks the power to trouble Flekken. Time's running out for BVB...

79'

Denied

Grimaldo returns to the field in time for Svensson to send over a corner. Beier misses the ball with his overhead effort and Flekken is out quickly to block from Anton.

78'

Grimaldo concern

The Leverkusen left-back stays down after overstretching his left knee...

76'

Worth a go

Schlotterbeck has a crack from range, but his shot whistles wide of the target. It may well take something special for BVB to get back into this...

75'

Professional foul

Andrich takes one for the team to stop Adeyemi going one-on-one up against Tapsoba.

75'

Yellow card

Robert Andrich

74'

One for another

Pascal Groß replaces Nmecha in the middle of the park, in Dortmund's fourth change of the contest.

74'

Substitution

Pascal Groß

Felix Nmecha

72'

Chance!

Bellingham is penalised following a tangle with Grimaldo, who's helped up by the Leverkusen physios, but should be OK to continue. A Schick header tests Kobel's reflexes from the ensuing free-kick.

71'

Yellow card

Jobe Bellingham

68'

Caution

Anton is cautioned for hauling down Schick. He'll have to watch his step for the remainder...

68'

Plan B

Very positive changes by Kovač as playmaker Julian Brandt and forwards Max Beier and Serhou Guirassy enter the fray.

68'

Yellow card

Waldemar Anton

67'

Substitution

Julian Brandt

Julian Ryerson

67'

Substitution

Serhou Guirassy

Fabio Silva

67'

Substitution

Maximilian Beier

Carney Chukwuemeka

62'

Double change

Hjulmand sent on Patrik Schick and Malik Tillman while that VAR check was going on. Kofane and Terrier were the players to make way.

62'

Disallowed goal!

Maza and Grimaldo combine to cut open the Dortmund defence. Martin Terrier sticks away Grimaldo's cross into the penalty area, but the goal is ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

61'

Substitution

Patrik Schick

Christian Kofane

61'

Substitution

Malik Tillman

Martin Terrier

58'

Unorthodox!

Flekken spills a shot from Nmecha, but manages to clear with his feet before Ryerson can pounce. Adeyemi then miscues a shot that's deflected behind for another fruitless corner.

56'

From back to front

Adeyemi chases down a long punt, but Flekken beats him to it and puts the ball into touch. How long before Kovač turns to a bench that includes Guirassy?

52'

Cleared

Adeyemi and Ryerson combine well, with the latter's fierce cross blocked behind for a corner by García. Svensson's delivery is too deep, though, and Bayer get it clear.

49'

No way through

It's been all Dortmund since the restart, but the Leverkusen press is largely keeping them at arm's length.

46'

No changes

Both sides line up as they were as the play resumes for the second half. Dortmund have the Yellow Wall behind them - will it make the difference?

Kick-off!

Half-time: Dortmund 0-1 Leverkusen

A full-throttle half of cup football comes to an end in Dortmund. BVB have created chances, but Leverkusen lead through Ibrahim Maza's well-taken goal just over half an hour in.

© IMAGO/Marco Bader

Half-time

44'

Added time

Sixty seconds for BVB to find an equaliser before half-time...

44'

Off target

Adeyemi's on the move again in Bayer territory. He runs in off the right and drops a pass in front of Nmecha, who curls a tame effort comfortably wide of Flekken's left-hand post.

41'

Just wide!

Anton goes within a whisker of meeting Svensson's headed pass into the six-yard area. Adeyemi, who started the move with a great switch, picks it up, sending a fierce first-time strike wide of the near post. Flekken barely moved.

40'

Andrich to the rescue!

Silva's superb lay-off from Ryerson's right-wing cross sets up a golden chance for Adeyemi, whose low strike beats Flekken but not the outstretched boot of Andrich. What a clearance!

39'

Over!

Svensson forces the error from Quansah in the Leverkusen half. The ball falls kindly for Adeyemi on the edge of the area, but he can't keep his shot down.

36'

Adeyemi playing on

He went to speak to the Dortmund bench after that goal, but is now moving a little more freely again. One to keep an eye on...

34'

Leverkusen lead!

Grimaldo takes advantage of the space left by Adeyemi to race up field and feed Maza in the BVB box. Anton initially makes the block, only for the ball to ricochet back into the teenager's path. Helped by some hesitant defending, he sweeps a tidy finish past Kobel, who was rooted to the spot.

34'

Ibrahim Maza

GOAL!

0:1

32'

Adeyemi limping

The Dortmund forward is moving gingerly after losing his footing when running at full tilt to escape the attentions of Alejandro Grimaldo.

30'

Ernest-ly fast

Ernest Poku shows a magnificent first touch on halfway to go past Can. The Dutchman races away up the left-hand side, but his attempted cross into the penalty area is cleared.

26'

Dortmund pressure

A ball into the six-yard box drops in front of Silva, but the bounce is awkward and the white shirts are able to show him away from goal. BVB keep it alive as Ryerson feeds Nmecha for a shot from 18 yards that is pulled harmlessly wide.

23'

Silva from range

The Portuguese forward ghosts inside, before sending a swerving effort high and wide of Flekken's goal. It was certainly the right idea.

20'

Half a chance

The ball's worked to Ibrahim Maza as Leverkusen come again, but the Algerian youngster drags his shot from a tight angle across goal and behind.

19'

Penalty shouts

Chukwuemeka goes to ground under pressure from Quansah as the pair battle to get to Ryerson's cross first. The referee waves play on, with Leverkusen going straight on the attack and seeing half-hearted penalty appeals of their own for a possible handball overlooked.

Competitive start

Great entertainment, but no clear-cut chances so far.

© IMAGO/Maximilian Koch

16'

Kung-fu Kobel

Leverkusen attempt to exploit the pace of Kofane once again. He has the beating of the Dortmund defence, but again Kobel reads it well, racing out to make an acrobatic clearance. Tapsoba shoots over soon after.

13'

Anton to the rescue

The Dortmund defender puts in a superb recovery challenge to stop Kofane's pass releasing García in the BVB penalty area. That all came about following a misplaced pass by Felix Nmecha in the midfield.

12'

Turn the dial up to 12

The fans are now in full voice again, following that 12-minute 'silent' protest. Dortmund's home ground is bouncing!

11'

Lightning fast

Adeyemi's speed takes him past two Leverkusen players and into the box, before Robert Andrich steps across to block at the expense of a corner, which the visitors clear at the second attempt.

9'

Asking questions

Good spell for Dortmund as Bellingham feeds the overlapping Julian Ryerson, whose inviting cross is headed clear in the Bayer penalty area.

7'

End to end

Gasps ring out as Nico Schlotterbeck sells Kobel a little short, but the Dortmund goalkeeper is alert to the pass and kick-starts a counter. Chukwuemeka and Karim Adeyemi can't make it count, though.

6'

Risky business

Mark Flekken plays a risky pass out from the back. Chukwuemeka spies an opportunity, but Aleix García steps in to make a crucial intervention.

Full of energy

Leverkusen are pressing Dortmund high in the early stages. BVB haven't been able to string much together just yet.

© IMAGO/Maximilian Koch

2'

Route one

Tapsoba goes long for Kofane, but the pass has too much on it and Kobel is out to clear with minimum fuss.

1'

Hushed tones

It's a little quieter now, and will be for the first 12 minutes, as the fans continue to protest against proposed changes to security measures around German football matches.

Kick-off!

Teams out

It's very loud inside Signal Iduna Park as the teams take to the field. Both clubs will see the DFB Cup as a big chance to grab some silverware this season.

Past winners

Leverkusen won the cup in 2023/24 to complete an unbeaten domestic double, but went out to Arminia Bielefeld - then of the 3. Liga - in last season's semi-finals. Dortmund - who lost to Wolfsburg in the 2024/25 second round - haven't gone beyond the quarter-finals since lifting the trophy for the fifth time in 2020/21, going out in the last 16 twice.

© Stuart Franklin

Elsewhere

St. Pauli are through to the quarter-finals after winning 2-1 at Bundesliga rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach in one of two early evening fixtures. They'll be joined in the draw by Bundesliga 2's Hertha Berlin, who thumped fellow second-tier side Kaiserslautern 6-1.

More on those teams

Kovač makes four changes to the side that beat Leverkusen in the Bundesliga at the weekend. Defender Aarón Anselmino, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, attacker Julian Brandt and star striker Serhou Guirassy drop to the bench, with Emre Can, Jobe Bellingham, Carney Chukwuemeka and Fabio Silva coming in. As for Leverkusen, defender Loïc Badé, playmaker Malik Tillman and striker Patrik Schick make way for Jarrell Quansah, Martin Terrier and Christian Kofane.

© IMAGO/Hesham Elsherif

Dortmund starting XI

Kobel - Anton, Can (c), Schlotterbeck - Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson - Adeyemi, Chukwuemeka - Silva

Dortmund subs

Meyer, Couto, Bensebaini, Guirassy, Brandt, Groß, Beieer, Sabitzer, Anselmino

Leverkusen starting XI

Flekken - Andrich (c), Quansah, Tapsoba - Maza - García - Hofmann, Terrier, Grimaldo, Poku - Kofane

Leverkusen subs

Lomb, Badé, Echeverri, Tillman, Schick, Ben Seghir, Sarco, Tella, Belocian

Leverkusen team news

Hjulmand, meanwhile, is without a number of first-team players. Lucas Vázquez, Ezequiel Fernández, Ezequiel Palacios and Arthur are all missing, although Axel Tape could return to the squad after recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered in early October.

© Christof Koepsel

Dortmund team news

Maximilian Beier was absent from the game at the weekend but has since returned to training and could be involved on Tuesday. Niklas Süle also missed Saturday's encounter and is expected to be on the sidelines once more here, but Salih Özcan should be available after recovering from illness.

© IMAGO/Dennis Ewert/RHR-FOTO

Niko Kovač on facing Leverkusen

“It was tight and close, but we deserved to win. This is a new match, and it will be difficult. It will come down to small details - those will decide the game.”

© IMAGO/Herbertz / Nico Herbertz

Kasper Hjulmand on facing Dortmund

“It’s an unusual thing to play the same opponent twice in the space of three days. We expect another tight game and not many differences. We know the opponent and they know us. Dortmund have a clear style of play. It’ll be tough for either side to pull a surprise.”

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderl

Head-to-head

Dortmund have lost just one of their last seven matches against Leverkusen. Overall, they have 48 victories to Leverkusen's 34. Interestingly, this is the first time the two have met in the DFB Cup.

© DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

Leverkusen's story so far

The Werkself kicked off their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Sonnenhof Großaspach in Ten Hag's first game in charge. They had to survive a scare in the second round against Paderborn, going 2-1 behind in extra time before recovering to win 4-2.

© IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel

Dortmund's story so far

BVB have not been at their scintillating best in the cup this season, edging past Rot-Weiß Essen in the first round courtesy of a 1-0 victory, before knocking out Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in round two.

© IMAGO/David Inderlied

Leverkusen form

Kasper Hjulmand has done an impressive job since replacing Erik Ten Hag at the start of September. The defeat to Dortmund was their first in five, with that run also including an eye-catching 2-0 victory at Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Marcel von Fehrn

Dortmund form

Under Niko Kovač, Dortmund have become an incredibly tough nut to crack, losing just three of their past 31 matches in all competitions. Those defeats came against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, three of the best sides on the planet. They currently sit third in the Bundesliga.

© DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

0:59

Watch: Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Borussia Dortmund - highlights

These two teams are facing off for the second time in four days. On Saturday, Dortmund were the victors, as Aarón Anselmino and Karim Adeyemi gave BVB a cushion before Christian Kofane halved the deficit to give the visitors a nervy final few minutes.

Welcome!

Welcome and thank you for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the DFB Cup Round of 16 match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. The game is scheduled to kick off at 9:00 p.m. CET on Tuesday.

Dortmund controlled the play for long periods in the second half, albeit only seriously threatening the Leverkusen goal once when Mark Flekken saved a Felix Nmecha shot at the second time of asking.

Bayer's Martin Terrier had a goal ruled out for offside following VAR review, while Adeyemi planted an injury-time header into the side netting as Dortmund's wait for a first DFB Cup trophy since 2020/21 goes on.

As it happened!

About the clubs

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