Final whistle in the Europa League – match facts from Matchday 4

The match facts:

TSG Hoffenheim qualified for the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the history of the club thanks to their 2-0 win against Slovan Liberec. TSG dominated the game with 72 percent of possession and 13 shots to their opponents' 9.

In their 18th game in European competition, Hoffenheim maintained their record of scoring at least once in every game. Andrej Kramarić has also found the net at least once in his six games this season. In the Europa League, however, it was his first goal in a TSG shirt.

The man of the match:

His goal broke the deadlock: Christoph Baumgartner found the net in the 77th minute to take the pressure off TSG by making it 1-0 and set the course for the knockout phase. For the Austrian, it was his second goal in four Europa League games. He has also provided two assists.  

The quote of the evening:

Sebastian Rudy: "It was a very difficult game. The opposition dropped very deep and only tried to play on the counter-attack. They gave it their all. It does the team good to get a victory like that and we are very pleased with it. I am pleased to be a part of the first TSG team to reach the knockout stages. We've earned it."

Press reactions:

"Milestone in Liberec" Badische Neueste Nachrichten

"Hoffe celebrates pink party" BILD

"Fourth Hoffenheim group game, fourth victory. The other face of TSG: the face of success, the face of the European League." Heilbronner Stimme

Group L at a glance:

In the other match in Group L, Red Star Belgrade won 2-0 at KAA Gent. The Serbians thus have the best chance to join TSG in the next round. Belgrade have nine points and need only one more point to secure their spot in the knockout stages. Liberec remain on three points, while Gent are still waiting for a point after four defeats. TSG are dominating the group with four wins from four games.

Match facts and statistics »