A Point Gained with Spirit

Darmstadt 98 started the match against Kiel dominantly, enjoying plenty of possession. However, after nine minutes, the Lilies made a misplaced pass during their build-up play, and the visitors capitalised on a quick attack, with Balzi scoring to make it 1-0. The home side continued to have more of the game overall, with Patric Pfeiffer registering the first shot after a corner, but his volley, taken from behind, sailed over the bar on 16 minutes.

In the 21st minute, the Bölle stadium erupted in celebration – but only briefly: After a fine combination, Lance Duijvestijn seemingly equalised, but the Dutchman was narrowly offside in the build-up.

The game became more balanced after that, and the visitors came close to making it 2-0 from a set piece, but Marcel Schuhen comfortably dealt with Nekic’s close-range header just past the half hour.

Three minutes before the break, the visitors increased their lead to 2-0: Harres met a cross and headed the ball past Schuhen. Fynn Lakenmacher had a header at the other end, a minute later, but couldn’t get enough power behind it. So the teams went into the break trailing by two goals.

After the break, Darmstadt tried hard but rarely found a way through. The better chances initially fell to the visitors, but Schuhen made two excellent saves in the 52nd and 54th minutes to keep the score at 2.

For much of the remainder of the match, the visitors circulated the ball in their own half, resulting in few noteworthy attacks from either side.

In the 76th minute, however, Darmstadt capitalised on a counter-attack to pull a goal back: Schuhen intercepted a pass, threw it into the path of Kai Klefisch, who dribbled forward and found new signing Ho-Jae Lee, who fired a powerful shot into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area.

After the goal, the home side, along with their fans at the Böllenfalltor stadium, applied considerable pressure, but shots from Duijvestijn and Klefisch were both blocked in the 79th minute. Three minutes later, Manolo Merx tried his luck after a fine dribble, but his shot was also blocked.

Four minutes before the end, the South Hessians were rewarded for their efforts: After a corner from Duijvestijn, Aleksandar Vukotić rose highest and headed the ball into the net for the 2-2 final score.