Leo Østigård arrives proper at Hoffenheim: “He stabilises our game.” | OneFootball

Beleaguered Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim found themselves essentially unexpected winners yesterday when a goalkeeping error from Bochum’s Timo Horn enabled them to eke out a slender 1-0 away victory. The contest at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion remained tight until the very end. Hoffenheim paradoxically ended up scoring the winning goal shortly after being reduced to ten men.

In the final analysis, however, the three points weren’t necessarily undeserved. Christian Ilzer’s Kraichgauer turned in a stellar defensive performance. Buttressed by the unexpected early return of No. 1 keeper and captain Oliver Baumann, Hoffenheim benefitted from having their regular stopper. Baumann miraculously came back after only being out five weeks.

“I still need tape, special insoles, and a special shoe,” the 34-year-old skipper revealed in the mixed zone afterwards, “but it worked out well. I’m very happy, I’ve also put in a lot of work. I have to thank my wife, because I was hardly at home for the first ten days while rehabbing my injury.“

Both Baumann and Ilzer reserved special praise for the work of Norwegian centre-back Leo Østigård. Hoffenheim swung a last-minute deal to bring the former Brighton man in on loan from Stade Rennes on deadline day. After an adjustment period, it looks as if the 25-year-old is finally ready to serve as the central defensive pillar the team has been missing all year.

Østigård has now started three Bundesliga matches. His performance in the 4-0 loss to Union Berlin on matchday 21 left much to be desired, but the Molde-native rebounded to furnish a strong match in a 1-3 win over Bremen the subsequent week. After sitting out last week’s 1-1 draw with Stuttgart, Østigård has now likely established himself with a top-notch day in Bochum.

“Leo [Østigård] is a loud communicator at the back; something we lacked to a certain extent,” Ilzer explained at his post-match press conference. “For him to keep a clean sheet together with Oli [Baumann] was not insignificant.“

“The way we defended today has to serve as the basis for us moving forward,” Baumann added. “[Østigård] stabilises our entire game, is a very good defender, and also a great guy. He fits very well with the club and the team. I hope he stays.”

GGFN | Peter Weis