The defeat at the SNP Arena means Hoffenheim must continue to wait for their first victory in this season’s Europa League league phase, having also lost 2-0 away to OFI Crete in their opening fixture.
Despite equalising in the second half, Beşiktaş ultimately proved too strong for Ilzer’s side, with Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring twice to condemn the hosts to another disappointing result.
Speaking after the game, Ilzer did not attempt to disguise his frustration, acknowledging that his side must improve if they are to turn their fortunes around.
“We’re very disappointed. We’ve suffered another defeat,” the Hoffenheim coach said, according to translated reports of his post-match press conference.
Ilzer acknowledged the quality of the opposition but was particularly critical of his team’s inability to deal with Beşiktaş’s attacking threat after the break.
“We couldn’t stabilise in the second half and conceded a goal on the counter-attack,” he explained, before delivering a blunt assessment of the result: “This defeat is no coincidence. There is a lot of work for us to do.”
The Austrian added that Hoffenheim had opportunities to take the lead and subsequently find an equaliser, but ultimately failed to capitalise on their chances.
“We could have taken the lead and we could have scored the equaliser, but we’re very disappointed. We know we need to improve in certain areas,” he continued.
Baumann insists Hoffenheim still believe in their approach
Hoffenheim captain Oliver Baumann also addressed the team’s difficult situation following the final whistle.
Speaking to SPORT1, the goalkeeper indicated that the squad continued to believe in its approach despite the recent run of disappointing results.
“We now have to head to Gladbach with full energy, address things and improve them, but also address the things that went well today."
However, the latest defeat underlined the problems facing Ilzer’s side, who were unable to contain Beşiktaş after the visitors took the lead through Michael Murillo shortly after the hour mark.
Fisnik Asllani briefly restored parity with an excellent individual finish, but Oh struck twice in quick succession to put Beşiktaş in control. Kōki Machida’s late header reduced the deficit, although Hoffenheim were unable to find a further goal.
With another defeat added to their European campaign, Hoffenheim must now find a response quickly. Their next Europa League fixture sees them host Lyon on October 22, providing Ilzer and his players with another opportunity to get their campaign back on track.