Martinez hails DFB-Pokal comeback: "We showed great passion"

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Carles Martinez congratulated his players after the 5-2 win over FC Nürnberg in the German Cup (DFB-Pokal), saying his team had "showed great passion".

At the BayArena, 2. Bundesliga side Nürnberg came close to pulling off an upset, racing into a 2-0 lead inside the first 30 minutes through goals from Rafael Lubach and Sigurd Haugen.

However, Leverkusen drew level thanks to two goals from Edmond Tapsoba, one at the end of the first half and the other right after the restart, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez found the net to seal a 5-2 victory and a place in the round of 16.

Tapsoba scored the first brace of his club career in his 282nd appearance for Leverkusen, while Aleix García finished the match with two assists.

Leverkusen left the pitch having dominated the game, generating 3.07 expected goals (xG) from 25 shots and producing dangerous attacks that included six big chances.

Reflecting on the match, Martinez said: "We didn't get the start we wanted. Nürnberg played brilliantly. But I'm very happy with our performance in the second half. We never lost belief in ourselves and we managed to turn the game around. My players did a fantastic job and showed great passion. I particularly liked that!"

Jonas Hofmann, who in addition to his goal was the most prolific shooter on the pitch with five attempts and led the attack by creating five chances, said he was proud of the team's refusal to give up.

"We played against a strong opponent," Hofmann said. "Even though we had our own chances, we couldn't impose ourselves on the game the way we wanted in the first half. But Eddy's goal just before half-time gave us the chance to get back into the match. We didn't let our heads drop, and that was very important. You can really feel the bond with the fans, it's absolutely incredible. I couldn't stop smiling after the goal."