Jonas Hofmann scored twice in three first-half minutes as Bayer Leverkusen beat OFI Crete 2-0 in Heraklion to make it three wins from three in the Europa League. The visitors have scored eight and conceded none, and have now won six straight games in all competitions.
Heraklion, Greece: Leverkusen came to Crete looking for a sixth straight win in all competitions and needed only a three-minute burst before the interval to take it. The man who delivered it, 34-year-old Jonas Hofmann, was making his first start of the season after being added to the club’s Europa League squad only this week.
A rebound and a long-range finish
The breakthrough arrived in the 35th minute. Afonso Moreira’s shot from distance was too hot for OFI goalkeeper Klidman Lilo to hold, and Hofmann was on hand to turn in the rebound from close range. Three minutes later he had his second. Malik Tillman slipped the ball to him just outside the area, and Hofmann drove a low finish into the bottom-left corner.
Control without a third goal
Leverkusen finished the night with more than 30 shots, while the home side were largely harmless going forward. The third goal never came, but the contest never looked in doubt. Hofmann was withdrawn in the 63rd minute with the game safe, and afterwards he said he had simply done his job. Sporting director Simon Rolfes had warned before kick-off that OFI were a good team.
Leverkusen were also without Robert Andrich, who missed the trip after becoming a father for the third time that morning.
A flawless European record
The win leaves Leverkusen on nine points from three matches with a goal difference of eight to nil, and they are the only team in the competition yet to concede. It follows a 4-0 win at Lech Poznań last week and a 2-0 home win over Celje on matchday one, and it stretches their run to six consecutive victories in all competitions.
Result: OFI Crete 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen (UEFA Europa League, league phase, matchday 3, Heraklion, 22 October 2026)
Leverkusen scorers: Jonas Hofmann (35’, 38’)
