Hoffenheim misses Europa start in Crete despite early ball possession

TSG Hoffenheim had to suffer a 0-2 defeat against OFI Crete in the Europa League opening match on Crete. In front of around 20,000 spectators, Aitor Cantalapiedra scored in the 30th minute and Georgios Kanellopoulos in the 84th minute. Hoffenheim, the team coached by Christian Ilzer, dominated early, but the chances were scarce.

Early possession, but lacking chances

At the start the team dominated possession and put Ozan Kabak in the spotlight already after 15 minutes, but his header was saved by goalkeeper Nikos Christogeorgos. Patrick Wimmer rotated with youngster Nathan de Cat in the starting eleven, while Bambasé Conté, nominated by national team coach Jürgen Klopp for the German national team, was not in the starting lineup. Despite high possession, the cutting power was missing, which Hoffenheim would later regret.

Goals and decisive moments

Albian Hajdari delivered the pass to Cantalapiedra, who turned the 0-1 after a set piece. Shortly afterwards Georgios Kanellopoulos took the chance after another set piece and made the final score 0-2. Taxiarchis Fountas almost scored the 2-0 for the underdog in the 53rd minute, but his shot hit the post.

Coaching decisions and outlook

At halftime Ilzer brought centre‑back Koki Machida into the game and later introduced Conté as well as veteran Andrej Kramaric. Adam Daghim and Fisnik Asllani also came on as offensive options. Hoffenheim now has to play further group matches in London (against Crystal Palace), Brussels (against RSC Anderlecht) and again in Greece (against Olympiacos Piraeus).

Andreas Schicker, managing director of Hoffenheim, warned about the match: “We don’t want to look too far ahead. Crete will also be a hard piece of work.” Nikos Athanasiou was delighted about his team’s surprise success. According to Reuters, OFI Crete was not actually a regular member of the Europa League, which makes the defeat all the more bitter. The report is also available in the app.

The presence of OFI Crete in the Europa League shows that even seemingly easy opponents can be dangerous. For Hoffenheim the result means a tough start, while Crete uses the triumph as a sign of its own strength.