Hoffenheim Beat Lyon 3-0 for First Europa League Win as Kango Is Taken to Hospital
Hoffenheim beat Lyon 3-0 at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim on Thursday, October 22, to record their first win of the Europa League league phase. The match was overshadowed by a worrying injury to Lyon defender Steeve Kango, who was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital.
Lyon, who lead the French league, started with a changed line-up under coach Paulo Fonseca, and Hoffenheim took control after the early exchanges. Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif made a good save from Robert Hranac in the 20th minute, and he was helped by his crossbar soon after.
The match was interrupted in the 25th minute. Kango, a 19-year-old defender, challenged for a header with Hoffenheim striker Tim Lemperle. Lemperle got underneath him, and Kango lost control in the air and landed heavily on his back. He stayed motionless on the pitch, and the referee called Lyon's medical staff onto the pitch immediately. Emergency doctors also came on to help. After around five minutes of treatment, Kango was carried off on a stretcher. He was conscious but stunned as he left the field, and he was taken to hospital for tests. Fonseca said afterwards that Kango was all right so far. There is no confirmed diagnosis or timeline for his recovery.
Hoffenheim took the lead in first-half stoppage time. Veteran striker Andrej Kramarić, 35, scored his first goal of the season in the 45+4th minute. He had been struggling to regain his form after the World Cup and an operation.
The hosts doubled their lead four minutes after the restart. Kramarić took advantage of a Lyon mistake in their build-up play and set up Adam Daghim, who scored to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute. Kramarić almost added a third with a shot from 16 metres, but it was substitute Adam Hložek who sealed the win with a shot from the edge of the area in the 83rd minute, again set up by Kramarić.
It was Hoffenheim's first Europa League win of the season, and also their first home win in all competitions this season. They had won a vital Bundesliga match against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the weekend, and they are currently 14th in the Bundesliga. Lyon were well beaten against a side that outplayed them in all areas.