Overview
- Vanessa Fürst scored in the 43rd minute and Leonie Köpp added a stoppage-time second as Essen beat 1. FC Nürnberg 2-0.
- The result moves Essen up to 12th on eight points, one ahead of Hamburger SV in the relegation battle.
- Essen will host Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinal on 11 or 12 March 2026, with exact scheduling to follow.
- Werder leaders Birte Brüggemann and coach Friederike Kromp downplayed a favorites role, recalling a narrow 3-2 league win in Essen and the difficulty of playing at Hafenstraße.
- Essen reached the last eight by defeating Turbine Potsdam 2-0, while Werder advanced after a penalty shootout win over RB Leipzig, and club chief Florian Zeutschler has criticized the recent collapse of DFB talks with the league’s clubs.