Ilzer gives Hoffenheim relief after Europa League win

Christian Ilzer and TSG Hoffenheim were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief on Thursday in the Europa League: after two defeats they beat Olympique Lyon 3-0, with Andrej Kramaric in stoppage time (45+4), Adam Daghim (49) and Adam Hlozek (83) finding the German forwards.

First win in the Europa League

Felix Bacher guarded the French goal until halftime, while Alexander Prass occupied the central midfield for the winning side. This secured the team's first Europa League success of the current season.

Andreas Schicker, sporting director of TSG, dismissed on Thursday rumours of possible interest from Eintracht Frankfurt. “I can say there’s nothing to it,” he said, emphasizing that his contract, extended long‑term in May, makes him happy. “I really enjoy working here,” he added. Thomas Kienzle, who wrote the report, confirmed the statements.

Rumours and internal stability

In the same round of matches, the Austrian striker Raul Florucz scored the 1-0 for Union St. Gilloise from a penalty in the 45+1 minute against Hapoel Beersheva, giving the Belgian side seven points – as did Sunderland, which played 1-1 in Poznań with Kevin Danso in central defence. Both teams therefore share fourth place in the table.

In the Europa League table picture, Pilsen recorded its third loss in the group with a 1-2 defeat to Levski Sofia. At the top of the table are Benfica (4-1 Omonia Nikosia), Bayer Leverkusen (2-0 Kreta), Bournemouth (3-0 Milan), Ferencvaros Budapest (4-1 Torreense) and Olympiacos (1-0 Sparta Prag).

In the Conference League competition, Philipp Lienhart had to watch from the sidelines in Monaco due to fatigue, while his Freiburg side lost 0-3. Marko Arnautovic observed from the bench the 2-2 draw between Red Star Belgrade and Copenhagen. Stefan Savic scored the 1-0 in Borac Banja Luka’s 2-0 victory over Kuopio.

Outlook and other competitions

After the triumph, Hoffenheim face Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Sunday. On the European stage, the clash with Crystal Palace follows on 5 November.

Lyon had to start without Corentin Tolisso and Moussa Niakhaté, both of whom remained on the bench. In the 20th minute Robin Hranáč's header from a corner went past the post, while goalkeeper Dominik Graf watched the action. Shortly afterwards the 19‑year‑old defender Steeve Kango fell awkwardly to the ground after a foul by Tim Lemperle and was taken to hospital after five minutes of treatment.

Oliver Baumann saved Kaïl Boudache's shot in the 37th minute. In stoppage time of the first half Lemperle headed the ball to Kramaric, who scored the 1-0 in the 45+4 minute. In the second half Kramaric set up Daghim for the 2-0 (49) and later Adam Hlozek for the 3-0 (83).

The brief sigh of relief after the Europa League win shows that Ilzer and his team are back on track, but the upcoming Bundesliga and cup tasks, as well as the continued interest from other clubs, keep the tension high.