OFI 0–2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Europa League | 22 October 2026

Result Summary

Bayer 04 Leverkusen made light work of their Europa League trip to Crete, dispatching OFI Crete with a composed 2–0 victory. The result was effectively sealed before half-time, with Jonas Hofmann grabbing both goals in a devastating two-minute spell either side of the mid-point of the first half. For OFI, it was a sobering evening that underlined the gulf in class between a Greek Super League side and one of European football's elite clubs.

Match Analysis

The statistics tell an emphatic story. Leverkusen dominated almost every meaningful metric, enjoying 63% ball possession to OFI's 37%, and generating a staggering 33 total shots compared to just 6 from the hosts. Of those, 15 were on target against a mere 2 from OFI — a ratio that reflects just how comfortably Carles Martínez Novell's side controlled proceedings.

OFI, coached by Christos Kontis, were not without some early organisation. Leverkusen picked up two yellow cards in the opening 25 minutes — one for an unnamed player at the 15th minute for an argument, and Aleix García Serrano booked for a foul at the 25th minute — suggesting the hosts were competing physically and disrupting their opponents' rhythm in the early stages.

However, that resistance crumbled midway through the first half. On 35 minutes, Jonas Hofmann opened the scoring with a right-foot shot, assisted by Afonso Moreira. Just two minutes later, Hofmann struck again — this time assisted by Malik Tillman — to give Leverkusen an unassailable 2–0 lead at the break. A brace in two minutes effectively ended OFI's hopes of a positive result.

Leverkusen's dominance in dangerous attacks (69 to OFI's 22) and key passes (25 to OFI's 5) illustrates just how thoroughly they controlled the second phase of play throughout the evening. Despite that dominance, Leverkusen appeared to ease off the accelerator in the second half, with Martínez Novell making a series of rotations from the 63rd minute onward — bringing on Miguel Gutiérrez Ortega, Ibrahim Maza, Nathan Tella, Moussa Diaby, and Edmond Tapsoba, resting key contributors including the two-goal Hofmann.

OFI also made changes in the second period, introducing Taxiarchis Fountas, Giannis Apostolakis, and Giannis Theodosoulakis, but could not convert their 5 corners or 2 shots on target into anything meaningful. Late bookings for Jarell Quansah (79'), Ignacio Fernández (86'), and OFI's Borja González Tejada (87') added a fractious edge to the closing stages but changed nothing in the outcome.

Prediction Review

Our pre-match forecast called for a Bayer 04 Leverkusen win by exactly 0–2, with a 76.5% probability of an away victory and a confidence rating of 67/100. The prediction proved correct in both outcome and scoreline — a satisfying validation of the model's assessment. The model accurately identified Leverkusen's superior quality and OFI's limited threat, and the match unfolded largely as anticipated.

Key Takeaways

• Jonas Hofmann was the defining player on the night, scoring twice in two minutes to seal the tie before half-time.
• Leverkusen's volume of attacking play — 144 attacks, 69 dangerous — underlines their class at this level of European competition.
• OFI competed early but simply lacked the quality to sustain pressure against a Leverkusen side that barely needed to move through the gears.
• A fourth yellow card in the match for Leverkusen confirms they were not