Antonio Nusa provided a hat-trick of assists while Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šeško scored sublime goals as RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the DFB Cup round of 16 on Wednesday evening.

RB Leipzig 3-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 1-0 Šeško (31'), 2-0 Openda (50'), 3-0 Openda (58')

Having failed to win any of their six games in November, drawing three and losing three, Leipzig got back on track in their first outing in December. Marco Rose fielded Openda and Šeško up top in a statement of attacking intent and, after an evenly balanced opening period, it paid off shortly after the half-hour mark. Winning possession deep in the Frankfurt half, Nusa showed incredible balance and agility to skip in from the left past two defenders and feed the ball to Šeško, who, seemingly determined not to be outshone, showed incredible footwork of his own to outwit his marker and put the home side ahead with a composed finish. Frankfurt, second in the Bundesliga table and with the in-form Omar Marmoush up top, were uncharacteristally quiet in attack and failed to have a shot on target in the first half. 

Leipzig extended their lead early in the second period and again it came as a result of their high press. Nusa gathered the ball on the left, jinked into the box and teed the ball up for Openda to finish from close range. The game was effectively over as a contest just eight minutes later when the lively Nusa again picked up possession and flicked it inside to Openda. The Belgium international still had a lot of work to do, but arrowed an unstoppable shot into the top corner from 25 yards out. Frankfurt continued to battle as the final whistle approached but never looked like scoring against a dogged home side, who deservedly booked their spot in the last eight.

Match stats

• Leipzig missed the chance to potentially make history as the first team to win three successive DFB Cups after going out to Wolfsburg in last season's second round.
• Die Roten Bullen beat Frankfurt in the 2022/23 DFB Cup final - one of their six competitive wins against the Eagles (D8, L5).
• Openda is Leipzig's biggest goal threat so far this season with eight goals and five assists in all competitions.
• Frankfurt lifted the DFB Cup for the fifth time in 2017/18. In the last 20 years, they have also finished as runners-up on three occasions.
• Nusa provided a trio of assists in this game. 
• Eintracht have now won just one of their 10 trips to Leipzig - 1-0 in last season's Bundesliga - losing five and drawing three.

Teams

Leipzig: Vandervoort - Geertruida, Orbán (c), Seiwald - Henrichs, Vermeeren, Haidara (Schlager 71'), Nusa (Klostermann 84') - Baumgartner, Šeško (Silva 76') - Openda
Unused subs: Gulácsi, Zingerle, Kampl, Jatta, Gebel
Out: Bitshiabu (muscular), Castello (thigh), Elmas (hamstring), Ouédraogo (thigh), Poulsen (thigh), Raum (ankle), Xavi (ankle)
Coach: Marco Rose

Frankfurt: Trapp (c) - Collins (Knauff 55'), Tuta, Koch (Højlund 66') - Kristensen, Skhiri, Larsson (Chaïbi 46'), Götze (Nkounkou 55'), Brown (Dahoud 82') - Ekitiké, Marmoush
Unused subs: Santos, Matanović, Uzun, Chandler
Out: Amenda (ankle), Theate (torn lateral ligament)
Coach: Dino Toppmöller

As it happened!

3 - 0

(1 - 0)

Leipzig

FINAL

Frankfurt

DFB Pokal
Round of 16 Round of 16 Red Bull Arena

Full-time: RB Leipzig 3-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Leipzig are into the quarter-finals after a convincing win over Frankfurt. Benjamin Šeško opened the scoring in the first half, with Loïs Openda netting two after the break, including a stunning effort from 30 yards - Antonio Nusa provided the assist for all three goals. The visitors, meanwhile, managed just one shot on target and were second-best from start to finish.

© IMAGO/O.Behrendt

Full-time

90'

Looking for a consolation

That is all Frankfurt can hope for now as full-time approaches.

87'

Yellow card

Mahmoud Dahoud

84'

Substitution

Lukas Klostermann

Antonio Nusa

82'

Substitution

Mahmoud Dahoud

Nathaniel Brown

80'

First shot on target

That sums up Frankfurt's night - Ekitiké tests Vandervoort for the first time, and it is an easy take for the replacement goalkeeper.

Morale-boosting

This will do Leipzig's team spirit the world of good.

© IMAGO/Sven Sonntag

76'

Substitution

André Silva

Benjamin Šeško

74'

Side netting

Openda is looking to complete his hat-trick. Not on this occasion, but he still has time to do so!

69'

Ekitiké wide

A rare chance for the visitors, but Ekitiké can't find the target.

69'

Henrichs denied

A chance for Leipzig has Henrichs heads towards goal. It is an easy take for Trapp though.

69'

Full control

Leipzig are clearly in the ascendancy now and are able to sit back and let Frankfurt do the work.

66'

Substitution

Oscar Höjlund

Robin Koch

Trio of assists

Nusa has been the unsung hero for his side tonight, creating all three goals.

© IMAGO/Martin Stein

58'

Another stunner!

A third for Leipzig, and it is another memorable strike. Openda picks the ball up 30 yards from goal, and even from there, Trapp can do absolutely nothing as the strike hammers into the top corner.

58'

Loïs Openda

GOAL!

3:0

55'

Substitution

Ansgar Knauff

Nnamdi Collins

55'

Substitution

Niels Nkounkou

Mario Götze

The opener

Šeško gave Leipzig the springboard to build from, and they have done just that.

© IMAGO/Roger Petzsche

50'

Leipzig double their advantage

The home side give themselves an extra cushion. Openda is the goalscorer, tapping into an empty net after a move down the left.

50'

Loïs Openda

GOAL!

2:0

46'

Back underway

We are up and running once more here!

46'

Substitution

Farès Chaïbi

Hugo Larsson

Kick-off!

Half-time: RB Leipzig 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

The home side are in a strong position to end their six-game winless run after an impressive openly 45 minutes. Marco Rose's men dominated and have the lead they deserved through Benjamin Šeško's brilliant finish. Frankfurt have been quiet, but they are still in this clash and have the quality to turn things around.

© IMAGO/Dennis Ewert/RHR-FOTO

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Yellow card

Nicolas Seiwald

1:15

Watch: The best of Benjamin Šeško in 2024/25

All in a day's work for the striker!

36'

Deserved advantage

Leipzig have been the better team in this encounter, and they have the lead. What do Frankfurt have in response?

31'

What a goal!

Leipzig break the deadlock, and in fabulous fashion! Following some brilliant work from Nusa, Šeško beats a Frankfurt defender before some quick feet takes him past Trapp. From there, he only has to tap into an empty net. Fantastic.

31'

Benjamin Šeško

GOAL!

1:0

30'

Side netting

The angle works against Openda, and can only put his attempt behind.

24'

Leipzig still on top

Frankfurt are moving up the field more frequently, but they are still unable to make any real inroads.

18'

GOAL.... but.....

Openda has the ball in the back of the net, but the effort is ruled out for offside.

17'

Trapp saves!

The first real opening of the match, as the Frankfurt captain leaps to tip Orbán's header behind.

14'

Frankfurt on the periphery

The visitors have not managed to get themselves into the game just yet, with Marmoush and Ekitiké passengers thus far.

11'

Šeško wide!

Not far away from the Slovenian, who drags an attempt not far past the post from outside the area.

8'

Close

Seiwald curls a free-kick into the area and, while it evades everyone in the box, it almost finds the top corner. In the end, though, it goes just over the bar.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Jan Kaefer

5'

Strong press

The hosts are eager to stop their recent poor run and are aiming to push Frankfurt back into their own third at every opportunity.

1'

Up and running

We are underway here in Leipzig!

Kick-off!

Glory

This is what both teams are looking to get their hands on this season.

© IMAGO/Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images

Under 15 minutes to go

Not long now before kick-off!

Leipzig team news

Marco Rose also makes just two changes to his starting XI after the 5-1 loss to Wolfsburg. Out come the injured Castello Lukeba and Kevin Kampl, with Nicolas Seiwald and Arthur Vermeeren taking their places.

© IMAGO/Ulrik Pedersen

Frankfurt team news

Dino Toppmöller makes two changes to the side that beat Heidenheim at the weekend. Arthur Theate's injury in that clash means he is replaced by Nathaniel Brown, while Hugo Ekitiké returns to the team at Igor Matanović's expense.

© IMAGO/Eduard Martin

Leipzig starting XI

Vandervoort- Geertruida, Orbán (c), Seiwald - Henrichs, Vermeeren, Haidara, Nusa - Baumgartner, Šeško - Openda

Leipzig subs

Gulácsi, Zingerle, Klostermann, Silva, Schlager, Kampl, Jatta, Gebel

Frankfurt starting XI

Trapp (c) - Collins, Tuta, Koch - Kristensen, Skhiri, Larsson, Götze, Brown - Ekitiké, Marmoush

Frankfurt subs

Santos, Højlund, Chaïbi, Matanović, Dahoud, Uzun, Chandler, Nkounkou, Knauff

Struggling for form

Leipzig have stumbled in recent weeks, failing to win any of their past six matches in all competitions - their previous victory came in October against St. Pauli. They will be eager to end that run here.

3:27

Watch: The flourishing partnership between Marmoush and Ekitiké

See more on Frankfurt's next unstoppable strikeforce, who have been smashing club records at every turn this season.

Potential opponents

Holders Bayer Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and third-tier side Bielefeld all booked their places in the quarter-finals yesterday. While there may be no easy fixtures, most teams will likely secretly be hoping they get drawn against the latter in the next round.

3:22

Watch: All of Marmoush's goals and assists this season

Enjoy all 13 goals and seven assists the Egyptian forward has contributed to Frankfurt's cause so far in the Bundesliga in 2024/25...

4:34

Watch: Frankfurt continuing to soar with Marmoush and Götze

Six wins from six across all competitions, scoring 17 goals, saw Frankfurt continue to lead the pack pursuing Bayern. The red-hot Omar Marmoush scored in five of them, taking his season tally up to 15. And on the one occasion where the Egyptian sensation failed to net, up stepped Germany World Cup hero Mario Götze on his 100th appearance for the Eagles, who continue to fly high this winter.

3:41

Watch: Omar Marmoush - the art of the free kick

Leipzig's defence will be keen to give Omar Marmoush special attention in both open play and set-pieces, given the dual threat he has showcased this term.

Toppmöller on Eintracht's form

"We have great energy in the group. Everyone is always 100 percent in training. The boys make it difficult to take someone out of the squad who doesn't necessarily deserve it. Everyone wants to be in the starting eleven or in the squad. The players push each other. That's a lot of fun. Nevertheless, we know that we always start from scratch and we have to invest a lot to stay in this flow."

© IMAGO/Eduard Martin

Dino Toppmöller on Leipzig

"It will be a difficult game, we are in a good dynamic. The situation at Leipzig is understandable. Things are not going so well due to a number of injuries. But if you look at the first XI - and that is what matters - they have a top team on the pitch. It's do or die, the winner stays. We want to stay in the DFB Cup over the winter."

© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON

Earty team news

"Maarten will play in goal tomorrow. We have full faith in him and he is looking good of late. The boy is a great keeper and he's earned his chance. He radiates quality and offers us something different."

© RONNY HARTMANN

Marco Rose on facing Eintracht Frankfurt

"We are working hard ahead of the cup game tomorrow and want to experience that winning feeling again. We want to tackle this situation but need to believe in ourselves in order to do that. I know that the boys want this. We need to try and fix this together and I know we can do that."

© RONNY HARTMANN

Previous meetings

The last five meetings between these two have been evenly split, with each side winning twice and the remaining game ending in a draw. The last time they met in the DFB Cup was in the 2023 final, where Leipzig claimed the trophy with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai.

League standings

While Frankfurt stay hot on the heels of Bayern in second, Leipzig have slipped to fourth after a tough few weeks. At this point last season, Leipzig sat in fifth with two points more than they have currently (23) while Frankfurt sat in seventh on 18 points, eight less than they have this season after 12 games.

2:03

Watch: RB Leipzig 1-5 Wolfsburg - highlights

Leipzig come into this game on the back of another defeat, this time at home to Wolfsburg. That makes it three losses from their last four games, with nine goals conceded in the last two.

2:03

Watch: Heidenheim 0-4 Eintracht Frankfurt - Highlights

Frankfurt made it four wins in a row and five games without defeat against Heidenheim on Sunday. They remain in second place, four points off Bayern.

Leipzig team news

Marco Rose lost Castello Lukeba in the 5-1 defeat to Wolfsburg, but Xaver Schlager did return. Lukas Klostermann may return for this match, while there are long-term ailments for Bitshiabu (muscular), Elmas (hamstring), Ouédraogo (thigh), Poulsen (thigh), Raum (ankle) and Xavi (ankle).

Story so far: RB Leipzig

2022 and 2023 champions Leipzig are looking to go the whole way again and put a five game winless run behind them. Getting to this point has involved plenty of goals - they downed Liga 3 side Rot-Weiss Essen 4-1 in the first round, and then St. Pauli 4-2 in the second. New signing Antonio Nusa was key with goals in both games.

© IMAGO/Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images

Story so far: Eintracht Frankfurt

Frankfurt have made their way through to the last 16 in typical fashion this season with their key men shining. A first round 4-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig saw a double from Hugo Ekitiké, and then he and Omar Marmoush downed Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1.

© IMAGO/Joaquim Ferreira

Welcome!

Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of Wednesday's DFB Cup round of 16 tie between RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt at the Red Bull Arena.

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About the clubs

Eintracht Frankfurt

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RB Leipzig

Red Bull Arena