Hoffenheim lose 2:3 to Besiktas in Europa League, Baumann warns of danger

A second-half collapse in Sinsheim

On Thursday, 15 October, TSG Hoffenheim lost their second Europa League match 2:3 at home to Besiktas Istanbul, in front of a sold-out crowd of 28,632 at the Sinsheimer Arena. Besiktas, second in the Süper Lig table, had opened the competition with a 4:1 win over Olympique Marseille, and Kabak had predicted a heated game because of the large German fanbase. The first half ended 0:0, with Koki Machida's header hitting the right post in the third minute and Adam Hlozek's tight-angle shot hitting only the outside of the net in the 20th. Michael Murillo gave the visitors the lead in the 60th minute, and Fisnik Asllani equalised for the hosts in the 68th after a strong individual run. Oh Hyeon-gyu then scored twice, in the 72nd and 79th minutes, before Machida pulled one back late in the match.

1. 3rd minuteKoki Machida's header hits the right post
2. 20th minuteAdam Hlozek's shot hits the outside of the net
3. 60th minuteMichael Murillo gives Besiktas the lead
4. 68th minuteFisnik Asllani equalises for Hoffenheim
5. 72nd minuteOh Hyeon-gyu scores for Besiktas
6. 79th minuteOh Hyeon-gyu scores again for Besiktas
7. Late second halfKoki Machida pulls one back for Hoffenheim

Baumann and Ilzer on the crisis

Captain and goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, 36, issued a clear warning after the match. He said the team was conceding too many goals, and that this angered him in particular.

The situation is of course dangerous. If you now think we have played five games in the Bundesliga. And we are still at the start.

Baumann added that the season would soon reach its middle and then the winter. He asked the squad to focus on the here and now and to analyse the situation objectively, saying there was no point in lashing out at his teammates, either publicly or internally.

We have too few points, in both competitions.

Austrian coach Christian Ilzer said his side was disappointed by the result.

We are disappointed. It is annoying to lose the fourth game 3-2 now.

Ilzer said the repeated 3:2 defeats were no coincidence and that stopping them was the team's task. He also acknowledged the danger that players could lose confidence in themselves and in the bigger picture.

Standings and the next match

Hoffenheim sit second from bottom in the Bundesliga and have lost four of their first five league matches. Their Europa League campaign began with a 0:2 defeat at OFI Crete, and the Besiktas loss leaves them without a point after two matches. The previous weekend they lost 2:3 at home to Hamburger SV, which makes the Besiktas defeat their fourth consecutive competitive defeat. Their next match is at Borussia Mönchengladbach, who are bottom of the table, on Sunday, 18 October, at 17:30 (DAZN).

Goalkeepers and team selection

Alexander Nübel, now playing for Besiktas, was the focus of the goalkeeper duel with Baumann. Before the summer World Cup, Baumann had been relegated to second choice behind Manuel Neuer under Julian Nagelsmann, and the new national coach Jürgen Klopp did not nominate him for the Nations League in September. Hoffenheim started Andrej Kramaric for the first time this season, and it was his 50th European match. Besiktas posed little real threat to Baumann before the break, but Murillo beat him from close range after a corner in the second half.