Hoffenheim did not so much beat Lyon as take them apart in the second half of this one. Three goals, all of them with Andrej Kramaric's fingerprints on them, and a 3-0 Europa League win that said plenty about where the two teams are right now.
Kramaric stoops to conquer just before the break
The opener came in first-half stoppage time, four minutes beyond the 45. Kramaric, the veteran striker who has been Hoffenheim's reference point for years, got his head to a ball from the left side of the six-yard box and sent it into the high centre of the goal. It was a goal Lyon could have done more to prevent, and it came at the worst possible moment, with the interval almost within reach.
Lyon came out for the second half with a point to prove and did not last long. Within four minutes of the restart Hoffenheim had a second.
Daghim and Hlozek finish the job
Adam Daghim scored it in the 49th minute, a right-footed finish from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner, and once again it was Kramaric who made it. The Croatian was the provider, and from that point Hoffenheim looked in control. Lyon had plenty of the ball in the closing stages, with Tyler Morton, Corentin Tolisso and Remi Himbert all having efforts, but nothing troubled Oliver Baumann in the home goal in any real way.
The third goal arrived in the 83rd minute. Kramaric slipped a pass to Adam Hlozek, who struck right-footed from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner. Kramaric therefore ended the night with a goal and two assists, a complete performance from a player who has now been leading this side for a long time. Hoffenheim defender Ozan Kabak picked up a yellow card in the 81st minute, a rare blemish on a night that went to plan.
Problems for Lyon
For Lyon the evening finished with Moussa Niakhate's booking in added time, which felt like a fair summary of an unhappy night. Bacher, Mata and Kluivert at the back were stretched all evening, and the front line of Nakamura, Himbert and Boudache never found a way through. Coach Paulo Fonseca was already defending his selection choices before the trip to face Paris St-Germain, a fixture BBC Sport reports has been moved as Paris prepares for further protests. It is not the ideal time for a heavy European defeat.
Match facts: Hoffenheim 3-0 Lyon, UEFA Europa League league stage, Thursday 22 October 2026. Goals: Kramaric 45'+4, Daghim 49', Hlozek 83'. Bookings: Kabak (Hoffenheim) 81', Niakhate (Lyon) 90'+3. Source: BBC Sport match data.
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