Leverkusen Produce Stunning Comeback To Crush Nürnberg 5-2 In DFB-Pokal

Bayer Leverkusen overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat 1. FC Nürnberg 5-2 at the BayArena on Wednesday evening, securing their place in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 after a remarkable second-half comeback.

Edmond Tapsoba emerged as the unlikely hero with his first brace for the club, scoring either side of half-time before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez completed the turnaround.

For Carles Martínez, the victory provided a much-needed response to Sunday's 3-0 Bundesliga defeat against Hoffenheim, although Leverkusen's defensive problems during the opening half-hour nearly resulted in a disastrous cup exit.

Nürnberg Stun Leverkusen With Two Early Goals

Martínez made six changes to the team that lost against Hoffenheim, handing Janis Blaswich another cup start while bringing Lucas Vázquez, Robert Andrich, Malik Tillman, Jonas Hofmann and Afonso Moreira into the lineup.

However, Die Werkself struggled to establish control against a Nürnberg side that pressed aggressively and attacked with conviction.

Rafael Lubach opened the scoring in the 13th minute, finishing a well-worked attacking move with a low shot from outside the penalty area.

The visitors doubled their advantage in the 30th minute after an Aleix García misplaced pass allowed Nürnberg to break forward. William Bøving supplied Sigurd Haugen, who finished from close range.

At 2-0, Leverkusen were facing the prospect of consecutive defeats and an early elimination from a competition they won in 2024.

The response finally arrived in the 41st minute.

After Nathan Tella had been denied by goalkeeper Jan Reichert, Tapsoba reacted to the resulting corner and bundled the ball over the line, giving Die Werkself a lifeline before the interval.

Martínez's Triple Substitution Transforms The Game

Martínez wasted little time making adjustments at half-time.

Ibrahim Maza, Patrik Schick, and Ezequiel Fernández replaced Tillman, Moreira, and Andrich, immediately changing the balance of Leverkusen's attack.

Schick provided a recognised central striker, allowing Tella to move away from the centre-forward role he had occupied during the first half.

Maza added another option for receiving possession in advanced midfield areas, while Fernández helped maintain pressure as Nürnberg were pushed deeper.

The impact was almost immediate.

In the 49th minute, Tapsoba struck again following another corner. His initial header was saved by Reichert, but the defender reacted quickest to convert the rebound and level the score at 2-2.

Die Werkself subsequently dominated possession and began creating opportunities with much greater frequency.

The decisive moment arrived in the 70th minute when Schick was fouled inside the penalty area. The Czech striker stepped up and converted the resulting penalty to give Leverkusen their first lead of the evening.

Having looked vulnerable to elimination just 40 minutes earlier, Martínez's side were suddenly in complete control.

Hofmann And Vázquez Complete Five Goal Turnaround

The factory club continued attacking rather than protecting their narrow advantage.

Hofmann extended the lead in the 78th minute with a precise low strike from outside the penalty area, adding another goal to his impressive recent record.

The experienced midfielder has now scored three times in his only two starts this season, following his brace against OFI Crete in the Europa League.

Lucas Vázquez then provided the finishing touch in the 89th minute, meeting a partially cleared corner with a powerful volley that flew into the net.

The Spaniard's spectacular finish completed a five-goal comeback and ensured Leverkusen advanced without requiring extra time.

Tapsoba's contribution was particularly important. His two goals came at moments when Die Werkself desperately needed a response, and both originated from set-piece situations that Nürnberg failed to defend effectively.

Yet the comeback also underlined the value of Martínez's substitutions.

Schick's introduction gave Leverkusen a more reliable penalty-area presence, while Maza helped the team sustain attacks rather than repeatedly losing momentum in the final third.

Leverkusen's improvement after the break was decisive, but the opening 30 minutes remain a concern. Nürnberg exposed weaknesses in their defensive organisation and punished an avoidable midfield error.

With Stuttgart visiting the BayArena on Saturday, Martínez will want his team to reproduce the intensity of their second-half performance from the opening whistle.

For now, however, Leverkusen have avoided a potentially embarrassing elimination and kept their ambitions of another DFB-Pokal triumph alive.