Patrik Schick on target as Bayer Leverkusen beat Sonnenhof Großaspach to reach DFB Cup second round

The Erik ten Hag era at Bayer Leverkusen began with victory as the Dutchman's side overcame nine-man fourth-division outfit Sonnenhof Großaspach 4-0 in the first round of the DFB Cup on Friday evening.

Sonnenhof Großaspach 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Schick 32' (assist: Adli), 0-2 Arthur (74'), 0-3 Kofane 84' (assist: Alex García), 0-4 Grimaldo (pen. 87')
Sent off: Celiktas (67'), Tasdelen (82')

Ten Hag named new signings Mark Flekken, Jarell Quansah and Ibrahim Maza in his first competitive starting line-up as Leverkusen head coach.

Flekken was tested by Großaspach's Mert Taşdelen inside 10 minutes, before heavy hail forced players off the field of play.

Leverkusen's Patrik Schick headed over shortly after play resumed, but made his second attempt count when he converted Amine Adli's cross with 32 minutes gone.

The Bayer striker made a goal-line clearance to prevent Großaspach Volkan Celiktas levelling matters with an inventive overhead effort, while Maximilian Reule pulled off a superb stop to thwart Quansah late in the half.

A goal down and with nothing to lose, the home pushed for an equaliser early in the second half and went close to getting one through Michael Kleinschrodt, who was denied by Flekken, before Loris Maier drilled just wide. 

The game got away from Sonnenhof just after the half-hour mark, however, with Volkan Celiktas receiving two yellow cards in quick succession. That was soon followed by Arthur doubling Leverkusen's lead after good work by Ernest Poku.

Worse was to come for the hosts when Tasdelen was sent off for dangerous play, and an evening to forget was compunded by late goals from Christian Kofane and Alex Grimaldo to secure a 4-0 victory for the 2024 DFB Cup winners. 

Match stats

• After going out in the first round in 2023, Leverkusen went on a 10-game winning run in the DFB Cup. That included lifting the trophy in 2024 before eventually losing to Arminia Bielefeld in last season's semi-finals.
• The 2024 success was the second time Leverkusen have won the DFB Cup. They won it for the first time by beating Hertha Belin II in the 1992/93 final.
• Only VfB Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade (five) scored more goals than Schick (four) in last season's competition. Schick now has a total of eight goals in 15 DFB Cup games.
• These two teams had never previously met in a competitive fixture, but did face off in a 2015 friendly, which Aspach won 1-0. 
• Aspach were in the third division back then. It is the highest on the German football pyramid they have played.
• This was just Aspach's third time playing in the DFB Cup first round, having previously lost 4-1 to Stuttgart (2009/10) and 2-1 to FSV Frankfurt (2012/13) at this stage.

Teams

Aspach: Reule - Landwehr, Aidonis, Nuraj, Mohr - Celiktas (c), Mistl (Kunde 70') - Lo. Maier (Pollex 88'), Tasdelen - Kleinschrodt (Ender 88'), Eisele (Stoppel 70')
Unused subs: Michalik, Kretschmar, Le. Maier, Molinari, Huras
Out: Rahn (broken arm)
Coach: Pascal Reinhardt

Leverkusen: Flekken - Quansah, Tapsoba, Hincapié (Tape 64') - Arthur, Andrich (c), Aleix García, Adli (Grimaldo 46') - Maza (Mensah 85'), Tella (Poku 65') - Schick (Kofane 77')
Unused subs: Blaswich, Lomb, Alfa-Ruprecht, Sarco, Boniface
Out: Belocian (cruciate ligament), Hofmann (hamstring), Palacios (hamstring), Terrier (Achilles), Tillman (calf)
Coach: Erik ten Hag

As it happened!

0 - 4

(0 - 1)

Großaspach

FINAL

Leverkusen

DFB Pokal
First round First round WIRmachenDRUCK Arena

Full-time: Großaspach 0-4 Leverkusen

Erik ten Hag's Leverkusen march into the second round. They were being made to work hard for the win at 1-0 up, but took complete charge after Aspach were reduced to 10 and then nine men. Encouraging start and some food for thought for the new-look Werkself. They host Hoffenheim in their Bundesliga opener next weekend.

© IMAGO/Harry Langer/DeFodi Images

Full-time

89'

Post!

Tape wants in on the action, but his strike comes back off the upright.

87'

Cool as you like!

Grimaldo strokes the ball into the bottom corner, with the Großaspach keeper diving the wrong way. Bayer are running away with it...

86'

Alejandro Grimaldo

GOAL!

0:4

Penalty

86'

Penalty!

No doubt in the referee's mind as Kofane's brought down in the box by Stoppel. Grimaldo to take...

84'

Emphatic!

Welcome to German football, Christian Kofane! The Cameroonian teen lashes a superb first-time finish past Reule, less than 10 minutes after joining the action. Hats off to Aleix García as well - his defence-splitting pass into the penalty area was weighted to perfection.

84'

Christian Kofane

GOAL!

0:3

83'

Rash!

Mert Taşdelen is shown a straight red card after going through the back of Tapsoba. Completely unnecessary - the home side are down to nine men!

82'

Red card

Mert Taşdelen

81'

We want three

Leverkusen attack again as Andrich drives forward. He tries to feed Kofane in the box, but a defender hoofs it clear.

77'

Fresh face, fresh legs

Christian Kofane, who only made his pro debut with Albacete in January, replaces Schick. The 19-year-old is one of the 12 new players on the Bayer books.

77'

Substitution

Christian Kofane

Patrik Schick

75'

Close!

The hosts haven't given up yet as Mohr drives just over. Not sure Flekken would have got there.

73'

Daylight!

Leverkusen make their man advantage count to surely end any Aspach hopes of a cupset. Grimaldo pulls away and feeds Poku, who coolly touches it into the path of Arthur for a well-taken finish past the goalkeeper. That's the Brazilian's first goal for the club!

73'

Arthur

GOAL!

0:2

71'

Reule again!

Superb reactions from the stopper to thwart Schick sweeping in Poku's low cross.

70'

Substitution

Marius Kunde

Christian Mistl

70'

Substitution

Lukas Stoppel

Fabian Eisele

68'

Disallowed goal!

Schick races onto a cute through-ball, before rifling high past Reule - but the flag went up very early. No complaints from the Bayer striker. He was clearly offside.

67'

Skipper sent off!

Celiktas is booked for a foul on Maza. That's his second yellow, and the hosts will have to see out the remainder with 10 men.

66'

Second yellow card

Volkan Celiktas

65'

Double change

After Aspach's captain is booked for dissent, Ten Hag makes two changes. New signings Poku and Tape are on, with Hincapié and Tella making way.

64'

Substitution

Ernest Poku

Nathan Tella

64'

Substitution

Axel Tape

Piero Hincapié

64'

Yellow card

Volkan Celiktas

59'

Direct

The home team are looking to get the ball to their forwards quickly. They are having some success, too, and they are beginning threaten Flekken's goal more frequently as Maier shoots wide following a quick counter.

The difference

The Czechia's star's header is all that separates the two sides right now.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Edward Cheung

53'

Close

Großaspach break into the box and close in on goal before Flekken gets his leg to the ball. Subsequently, Hincapié almost puts into his own net, but it trickles just wide.

49'

Stunning stop

Some lovely build-up play releases Grimaldo, and only a fantastic save from Reule stops him from finding the top corner.

47'

In the book

Tapsoba's foul on Eisele sees the referee take his name.

47'

Yellow card

Edmond Tapsoba

46'

Over

Tella should make it 2-0 to Leverkusen, but he doesn't quite connect and can only fire over.

46'

Back up and running

The second half has begun.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 4

Substitution

Alejandro Grimaldo

Amine Adli

Half-time: Sonnenhof Großaspach 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen

The first half ends with Leverkusen in the lead following Patrik Schick's header. The game was paused due to a lengthy weather delay and, while the hosts had a couple of dangerous moments - namely when Schick cleared Volkan Celiktas' creative overhead kick off the line - they were unable to peg their opponents back.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Edward Cheung

Half-time

45'

+ 4

Tasdelen denied

The midfielder's shot is straight at Flekken, who holds the ball. That was the final action of the first half.

45'

+ 2

Wide

Adli can't get his shot on target from Tella's cut-back.

3:01

Watch: All of Schick's Bundesliga goals in 2024/25

The striker has opened his season account for this term, so sit back and enjoy all of his Bundesliga goals from the previous campaign.

43'

Booking

A tactical foul from the Frenchman earns him the first yellow card of the game.

43'

Yellow card

Amine Adli

42'

Great save

A brilliant stop from Reule following some pinball in the box keeps his team just one goal behind.

40'

Off the line!

Celiktas' creative overhead shot appears to be creeping into the corner. However, Schick is on hand to intervene at the final moment. The Czechia forward has been influential at both ends already!

39'

Spell of pressure

As they look for a response, the hosts have enjoyed a sustained spell in Leverkusen's half, including several corners.

38'

Back on the pitch

Tella retakes his position on the field.

37'

Tella goes down

The winger slips and goes down awkwardly. He is receiving treatment as the game continues.

32'

Leverkusen lead!

Schick has not been involved too much in this one, but he doesn't need to be as he gives his side the lead with a bullet header. That was clinical from the striker.

32'

Patrik Schick

GOAL!

0:1

27'

Chance!

The home team have several opportunities to get a dangerous shot off in the penalty area. In the area, Eisele strike is the best, but his attempt can only hit the side netting.

Brushing up

The Großaspach ground staff deserve plenty of praise for getting the pools of water off the pitch so that the remainder of this game can be played.

© IMAGO/Gerhard Schultheiß

19'

Over

Schick has a chance to catch Großaspach cold, but he is always up against it and heads over after plenty of back-tracking.

18'

Back underway

After that lengthy delay, we are up and running once more.

18'

Großaspach also back on the pitch

Leverkusen's hosts are now also going through their paces. At the moment, the heavy rain also appears to have subsided.

18'

Leverkusen back on the pitch

Andrich has led his team back onto the field of play, and they are now warming up ahead of the restart.

18'

7.00pm restart

Currently, the game is expected to restart at 7.00pm CEST. The teams will have a short while to warm up beforehand.

18'

Clearing water off the pitch

After heavy rain, there are some waterlogged areas on the field of play. As such, some members of staff are clearing the water of the pitch.

Break in play

Due to a hailstorm, the teams have left the pitch and the game has been paused.

© IMAGO/Markus Fischer

16'

Brilliant intervention!

Schick was preparing to pull the trigger from around 10 yards out before Landwehr pipped him to the ball at the final moment. That could have easily led to the opener.

14'

Großaspach looking to counter

Unsurprisingly, the hosts are aiming to absorb pressure and pounce on the counter-attack when the opportunity arrives. They have found themselves in a couple of promising positions so far, but have been unable to take real advantage.

10'

First Leverkusen effort

Hincapié gets a shot off after a couple of failed lay-offs from his teammates, but Reule is able to easily gather the ball.

9'

First shot!

Flekken is given his first test by Tasdelen, who cuts inside and fires off a low shot. The new Leverkusen goalkeeper is equal to it, though, as he gets down and holds it at the second attempt.

6'

Leverkusen dominating possession

The Werkself are seeing plenty of the ball, as expected, so far. However, Großaspach are doing a good job of closing down space and are therefore preventing their opponents from getting shots off.

3'

Grimaldo on the bench

The left-back was ill during the week and, while he is fit enough to make the squad for today's game, he starts on the bench. Let's see if he makes an appearance later on.

1'

Underway

The 2025/26 DFB Cup is up and running!

Kick-off!

Raining heavily

The heavens have opened in Aspach, yet the temperature remains high. Will the conditions have an impact on the outcome?

New captain in the starting line-up

Robert Andrich will wear the captain's armband for the first time since his permanent appointment.

© IMAGO/Gerhard Schultheiß

Third participation

This is Großaspach's third participation in this competition. They have previously exited twice in the first round - 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart in 2009/10 and 2-1 to FSV Frankfurt in 2012/13.

Sonnenhof Großaspach starting XI

Reule - Landwehr, Aidonis, Nuraj, Mohr - Celiktas (c), Mist - Lo. Maier, Tasdelen - Kleinschrodt, Eisele

Sonnenhof Großaspach subs

Michalik, Kretschmar, Le. Maier, Ender, Kunde, Molinari, Pollex, Stoppel, Huras

Ten Hag goes strong

Erik ten Hag has named a strong side for his first competitive game as Leverkusen boss. The Dutchman makes just one change to the Bayer team that lost 2-0 to Chelsea in their final pre-season friendly, bringing in Arthur for Alejandro Grimaldo. Mark Flekken, Jarell Quansah and Ibrahim Maza all make their competitive debuts.

Leverkusen starting XI

Flekken - Quansah, Tapsoba, Hincapié - Arthur, Andrich (c), Aleix García, Adli - Maza, Tella - Schick

Leverkusen subs

Blaswich, Lomb, Tape, Alfa-Ruprecht, Sarco, Poku, Grimaldo, Boniface, Kofane, Mensah

0:25

Watch: Leverkusen unveil Ernest Poku

Looking for a third title

Leverkusen have won this trophy twice before - in 1993 and 2024, as part of a league and Cup double. Here, their journey towards another DFB Cup starts here.

© IMAGO/Kirchner-Media/TH

Erik Ten Hag on facing Sonnenhof Großaspach

Ahead of his Leverkusen bow, the new Werkself head coach spoke on his team's upcoming opponents. He said, "We are fully focused on this game and want to be dominant, keen to attack and play with a great team spirit. Focus – it's all about that. If we have that then we are in with a good chance of winning with all due respect to a very strong opponent."

© IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Almost time

Up for the cup, anyone? Erik ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen reign begins in earnest this evening as Die Werkself take on Sonnenhof Großaspach in the DFB Cup first round. Bayer are one of three Bundesliga clubs in action tonight, with Union Berlin travelling to Gütersloh and Werder Bremen taking on last season's beaten finalists Arminia Bielefeld.

© IMAGO/Jan Huebner

New skipper at the BayArena

With the departure of Lukáš Hrádecký this summer, ten Hag has handed the captaincy to Germany international Robert Andrich. The 30-year-old clearly passed his pre-season audition with the armband and will wear it officially for the first time against Aspach.

© IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Reinhardt on facing Leverkusen

“We want to stay in the game as long as possible and make it as difficult as we can for them,” said Aspach head coach Pascal Reinhardt this week. “If we have a great day and Bayer have an off day then we will be there to take our chance.”

© IMAGO/Volker Mueller

Dutch ace arrives

A 12th summer signing has been confirmed at Leverkusen, with the addition of 21-year-old Dutch youth international Ernest Poku from AZ Alkmaar. A club debut could immediately follow if he's given minutes on Friday debut.

© IMAGO/Ed van de Pol

4:39

Watch: Leverkusen 3-0 Pisa - highlights

All the goals from that recent B04 friendly win over Pisa.

On the rise

As for Aspach, they were promoted from the fifth-tier last season after losing just once in the league all season and they've since carried that momentum into the new campaign. An 8-0 State Cup victory has been followed up by 6-1 and 4-1 wins in the league, with striker Fabian Eisele (pictured r., and once on the books of VfB Stuttgart) already scoring five times in all competitions.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Philip Ziegler

Pre-season so far

Leverkusen kicked-off their preparations with an historic spell in Brazil earlier this summer, while they've collected three wins and two losses in their five friendlies going into the new season. Their most recent outings saw a convincing 3-0 win over Italian side Pisa before a 2-0 loss at the hands of FIFA Club World Cup winners Chelsea at the weekend.

New era at Leverkusen

This game marks Leverkusen's first competitive outing under new head coach Erik ten Hag, who arrived at the club this summer following the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Alonso has left big shoes to fill after leading Leverkusen to the league and cup double in 2023/24 and ten Hag will hope his side can immediately find their feet against Sonnenhof.

© Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Welcome!

The road to Berlin 2026 starts here with the first of our 2025/26 DFB Cup first round ties getting underway on Friday night. Among them is our headline fixture between Sonnenhof Großaspach and Bayer Leverkusen, with the fourth-tier hosts from the Regionalliga Südwest taking on the 2023/24 cup winners from the top-flight (kick-off: 6pm CEST).

About the clubs

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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