LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Bayer Leverkusen, the reigning champion of the German Cup, advanced gracefully into the third round following a commanding 3-0 victory over Elversberg, a team from the second division, on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Leipzig managed to weather a resurgence from St. Pauli, securing a 4-2 win to avoid a repeat of last season’s second-round exit.

In the early phase of the match, Patrik Schick made an explosive start by netting two goals within the first nine minutes. Aleix Garcia, who recently joined Leverkusen from Girona this season, added to the tally by scoring from a free kick, marking his first goal for the club.

Leipzig took charge early in their clash, establishing a 3-1 lead within the first half-hour. However, St. Pauli fought back when Eric Smith scored with a lob in the 58th minute, igniting hopes of a comeback. Just when the momentum appeared to favor St. Pauli, 19-year-old Norwegian winger Antonio Nusa showcased his skills by dribbling past two defenders and sealing Leipzig’s victory with a decisive fourth goal.

Augsburg also progressed, overcoming Schalke from the second division with a convincing 3-0 performance, marking their first advancement to the third round since the 2018-19 season. On the other hand, the only lower-tier team remaining in the tournament, fourth-division Kickers Offenbach, suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of second-division Karlsruhe.

In the evening fixture, Borussia Dortmund’s coach Nuri Sahin faces increasing scrutiny as his team looks to break a streak of four consecutive losses in away matches against Wolfsburg. Additionally, Stuttgart is set to host Kaiserslautern in another exciting encounter of the round.