Leverkusen defeats Dortmund in the cup: Drama in the 1-0 win!

Leverkusen defeats Dortmund in the cup: Drama in the 1-0 win!

In the DFB Cup round of 16, Bayer Leverkusen secured a narrow but well-deserved victory against Borussia Dortmund on December 3, 2025. The game at Signal Iduna Park ended 1-0 for the visitors from Leverkusen after Ibrahim Maza scored the decisive goal in the first half. Despite several attempts by BVB, including a corner ratio of 10:0, the ball simply didn't want to go into the net.

The first half was characterized by an intense battle in midfield, with Maza shining in the 70th minute, putting the ball into the net after an assist from Alex Grimaldo. This lead put Leverkusen in a favored position, even if a supposed 2-0 was canceled by the VAR. Dortmund, on the other hand, almost managed to equalize with a last chance caused by Ryerson in stoppage time, but his shot went wide.

Intense duels and changing strategies

In the last ten competitive games between the two teams, a clear trend has emerged: the away team has won seven times. This encounter was no different. Dortmund's coach, Niko Kovac, experimented with four changes to the lineup, while Leverkusen's Kasper Hjulmand only rotated three positions.

The referee Tobias Stieler had his hands full as there were a total of five yellow cards on both sides: Dortmund's Emre Can and Jobe Bellingham as well as Leverkusen's Malik Tillman and Robert Andrich saw the yellow card. Waldemar Anton also didn't want to hold back and received this warning. In the end, the game was exciting until the last minute, when Dortmund missed several chances.

Game progression and outlook

The clash came just three days after Dortmund beat Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, adding to the element of surprise. While Borussia had hoped to capitalize on this positive energy, their hopes were dampened by Leverkusen's compact defense.

Grimaldo, who played a key role in midfield, was injured but was able to continue playing. This shows how important the players are to the team. In the final phase of the game, Leverkusen brought in some fresh players, including Nathan Tella and Patrik Schick, to relieve the pressure on the squad and keep the lead over time.

A look back at the game shows that BVB had a lot of possession, but lacked the effectiveness to convert this advantage into goals. Once again it was shown that solid defense and lightning-fast counterattacks are the secret to success in the cup.

With this victory, Leverkusen has said goodbye to the next round of the DFB Cup and will have to continue to prove its performance in the coming games. Dortmund, on the other hand, needs to work on taking advantage of their chances if they want to be successful in future matches.