Europa League
Zero number against Bucharest: Hoffenheim is standing still
Updated 12/12/2024 – 8:45 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
TSG Hoffenheim is still waiting for its first Europa League victory under new coach Christian Ilzer. There was also only a draw against FCSB Bucharest.
Bundesliga team TSG Hoffenheim continues to struggle. Even in the second game under Christian Ilzer it wasn’t enough for him to win his first win on the European stage. In the Europa League duel with FCSB Bucharest, Hoffenheim had to be content with a 0-0 draw.
In a game that was tough for a long time and had few chances, the Ilzer team was not able to convince much against the club from the Romanian capital. It wasn’t until the middle of the second half that the home team really got going and created a few scoring opportunities, but they left all of them unused.
As a result of the point gain, Hoffenheim is now in 24th place in the Europa League table with six points. Eighth place and thus the last place that allows direct entry into the round of 16 is already four points away. After the winter break, TSG will host Tottenham Hotspur (January 23rd) and face RSC Anderlecht (January 30th).
The game probably didn’t feel like a home game for Hoffenheim. The many Romanian fans in the arena often drowned out the Hoffenheim supporters. Jacob Bruun Larsen could have silenced them for the first time after just two minutes. However, as with two other attempts from a promising position, the Dane failed to put the ball on goal.
Compared to the 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg, Ilzer only swapped his two full-backs: Pavel Kaderabek started for Valentin Gendrey, David Jurasek for Alexander Prass. However, TSG was unable to develop any pressure on the wings for a long time.
The creative department with Kramarić, youngster Tom Bischof and Anton Stach tried to structure the game. The Hoffenheim team didn’t think of much in the first half, and there was clearly a lack of pace going forward.
Bucharest, who won the European Cup as national champions in 1986 under the club name Steaua, proved to be the robust opponent that was expected. After a strong pass from captain Darius Olaru, Oliver Baumann had to play the rescuer when Adrian Sut stormed towards him and shot at the national goalkeeper (36th).
In U17 world champion Max Morstedt, the hosts had a fresh striker after the break – and a little more momentum. But Stach also shot over the goal (66th). Ex-Herthan player Haris Tabaković was also unable to make an impact as a joker – the Kraichgauer team presented themselves too harmlessly in attack, while the guests focused almost exclusively on defense and still have their sights set on qualifying for the playoffs. Shortly before the end, TSG goalkeeper Baumann prevented Bucharest from scoring a potential winning goal (88′).