It was only on Tuesday that Jonas Hofmann was called up to Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s squad for the Europa League. In Crete, the winger delivered straight away, thereby vindicating his manager’s decision.
Once it became clear that Martin Terrier’s injury was so serious that the Frenchman would be unable to play for Leverkusen until at least December, two players were in contention for a late call-up to the Europa League squad: Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface. As the latter is still searching for his form, coach Carles Martinez opted for Hofmann on Tuesday – a spot-on decision, as it turned out just two days later.
In the away match in Crete (2–0), the winger virtually single-handedly led his club to victory. “It feels good, of course, absolutely,” were therefore his first words in an interview with RTL. Hofmann had not had an easy time of it in Bayer’s attack recently and had announced even before kick-off that he intended to use his first chance in the starting line-up this season to prove his worth.
And he did so in impressive fashion. In the 35th minute, Hofmann scored the long-overdue opener from point-blank range, before adding a second goal just under three minutes later with a magnificent strike from over 16 metres. “It curls in beautifully, of course,” said Hofmann of his first-time finish, which was also praised by team-mate Ibrahim Maza (“great goals from Jonas”).
Although Hofmann’s time on the pitch came to an end shortly after the break, his 64-minute performance could still be seen as a strong case for further appearances. “I can’t do any more than that,” said the match-winner modestly. “I was called up late, flew over with the team, was allowed to play and did my job. The coach will make the next decisions.”
Martinez on Hofmann: “We needed him today”
And, naturally, he was also asked about Hofmann. “As always, when I put him on the pitch, I don’t have to explain anything to him. He knows what we want, and he understands well what we need,” explained Martinez, who felt vindicated in his decision to pick Hofmann over Boniface.
“We needed him today. He showed why I made that decision”, although Hofmann’s brace was, of course, not the only thing that mattered to Martinez: “That’s not all I’m thinking about. He played well overall and defended well, helping the team in the process.”