Rot-Weiss Essen had the lead, a crowd of 17,467 behind them and, for the whole of the second half, an extra man. They still lost. RB Leipzig turned their DFB-Pokal second-round tie around in the space of four minutes on Tuesday night, and Christoph Baumgartner scored both goals in a 2-1 win at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße.
Brumme puts Essen in front after nine minutes
The hosts did not wait around. Brumme struck in the ninth minute to give Essen the lead, and for a long stretch it looked like the sort of cup night the competition is famous for. The numbers say Leipzig were still the more comfortable side on the ball, with 63 per cent of possession and 25 touches inside the opposition box to Essen's 19, but none of that was worth anything on the scoreboard at the break. Essen went in at half-time 1-0 up.
Seiwald's second yellow changes the night
The interval arrived with Leipzig in more trouble than the scoreline suggested. Nicolas Seiwald picked up a second yellow card in the 44th minute, which left the visitors a man short for the entire second half while chasing a goal. Down to ten, they kept the ball anyway. They finished the night with 11 shots to Essen's nine, although only two of them were on target.
Baumgartner strikes twice in four minutes
Those two shots on target were the whole game. In the 78th minute Antonio Nusa set up Baumgartner, who levelled it. Four minutes later David Raum supplied the second assist and Baumgartner scored again in the 82nd, putting Leipzig ahead with barely a quarter of an hour to protect. Every shot Leipzig put on target ended up in the net. Essen managed one on target all night and that was Brumme's early goal, so neither goalkeeper recorded a single save.
What it means for both clubs
For Leipzig, the result keeps them in the cup and spares them an exit that would have been hard to explain to anyone. They will also like how the late goals arrived, with Nusa and Raum doing the passing and Baumgartner turning up in the right place to finish both. For Essen, it is a bruising exit. They led, they had the numbers and they were 12 minutes from the last 16 when it slipped away.
Match facts: DFB-Pokal, second round, Stadion an der Hafenstraße, Tuesday 27 October 2026. Rot-Weiss Essen 1-2 RB Leipzig (half-time 1-0). Goals: Brumme 9' (Essen); Baumgartner 78' (assist Nusa), 82' (assist Raum) (Leipzig). Red card: Nicolas Seiwald 44' (second yellow, Leipzig). Attendance: 17,467. Possession: Essen 37%, Leipzig 63%. Shots: Essen 9, Leipzig 11.
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