An Ihlas Bebou strike and a late Christoph Baumgartner goal paved the way for Hoffenheim's 2-0 win at Union Berlin on Tuesday as Albert Schreuder's side gave themselves a pre-Christmas confidence boost.
Goals: 0-1 Bebou (56'), 0-2 Baumgartner (90+1')
Hoffenheim travelled to the capital in low spirits, and the visitors' fragile self-belief could have — probably should have — been dealt a major blow early on. Marcus Ingvartsen, who scored in Union's draw at Paderborn at the weekend, scuttled down the left and provided a cross Anthony Ujah reached before Oliver Baumann, but the ball skidded off his boot and across goal. Robert Skov — playing at left wing-back again — tested Rafal Gikiewicz from range with a free-kick as Hoffenheim sought to muster a credible goal threat. They found one, and Gikiewicz should have been picking the ball out of his net before the break: Andrej Kramaric will still be wondering how he shot over the crossbar with only the Polish goalkeeper to beat after being played through by Bebou.
The latter took matters into his own hands to give the visitors the lead before the hour mark, though his shot might not have found the net had it not looped up and over Gikiewicz thanks to a handy ricochet off Christopher Lenz. Benjamin Hübner denied Ujah a clear sight of goal with a timely block as the hosts, who had been in much better form than their guests, sought a leveller to claim something from their final home game of 2019. They might have had it, but Christian Gentner fired wastefully wide and Baumann produced a world-class save to somehow deny top scorer Sebastian Andersson. Baumgartner came off the bench five minutes from time, and slotted home after an incisive run from another substitute, Havard Nordtveit, to seal the win as Hoffenheim recorded their first clean sheet since early November.
