Hoffenheim Women saw off Greuther Fürth 4:1 in the Round of 32 of the German Cup on Saturday evening. The visitors took their time to put the game to bed early, moving comfortably through the second half against a home side that struggled to find any rhythm.
And here's the thing about cup football — the bigger the gap on the pitch, the more it reflects on recent form. Hoffenheim had tasted defeat in four of their last five matches, losing to Leverkusen, Köln and Stuttgart, but this performance suggested something different. They were everywhere in the second half, pressing with purpose.
For Fürth, the result came as a disappointment after their encouraging 3:1 win over Saarbrücken in August. To be fair, they had faced Hoffenheim before, losing 2:1 in September 2025, and this time the margin was wider. The history between them adds an edge, but today the visitors simply had more than enough.
By then, the match had settled into a pattern. Hoffenheim controlled the tempo, moving the ball with confidence while Fürth chased shadows. The result means Hoffenheim advance to the next round, though their path to the final remains anything but straightforward given their recent results.
Fürth now face a period of reflection. Three defeats and a cup exit in quick succession — the club will need to find answers. The scoreline tells one story, but the pattern of their season tells another, and that is the real concern.