Collected one point. The Lilies draw 1-1 in the away game at Werder Bremen. SV Darmstadt 98 showed good morale after being behind for a while and equalised the Green-Whites' lead before the break. After the break, South Hesse continued to press and scored two further goals. However, VAR intervened twice, the lilies return home with one point; instead of having three points in the bag. How do the two head coaches view the game? What do the Darmstadt protagonists say? We have compiled all the voices about the game for you.
“Unfortunately it has only become one point. Nevertheless, it is a point that must continue to give us strength. We showed today that we were very resilient – as long as we kept order. Defensively, I saw a good game from us. When we concede a goal, we don’t push through the defence properly. The creation was the problem, not the own goal itself. In the second half we no longer wanted to hold the ball for so long, but instead wanted to play forward with one or two touches in order to create scoring opportunities. The fact that it wasn’t enough today is due to millimeter decisions.
On the disallowed goal in added time: “I would like to meet the inventor of the handball rule in person. But not today.“
“We played a good first half hour, that was our best phase of the game. However, we lacked accuracy in finishing and the final pass and didn’t have the necessary consistency. We left too much behind. After 30 minutes, Darmstadt got into the game better thanks to our own inaccuracies. In the last 20 minutes the game has become wild and too open. Darmstadt had two opportunities, each of which was denied. We were somewhat lucky there. The handball rule isn’t exactly great. You could do a lot more with “intention” and “not intention”. But in the end it’s the rule – to our advantage, to the disadvantage of the people of Darmstadt.”
„It’s incredibly bitter. Unfortunately, the rule is the rule. But it’s a rule that should definitely be changed. In our situation it’s certainly brutal. And unfortunately, offside is also offside. But from an emotional point of view, it’s of course difficult today , but the referee did everything right. Nevertheless, we can take a lot from today. We had problems at the start of the game, but after that we got better and better into the game. We played the wings better and also had shots. Later it was an open game in which we waited for the moment that could change the game. This moment even happened twice, unfortunately both goals were overturned. Overall, our plan worked well, we had a good game, were very well prepared and went away again. We got one point, even though we would of course have preferred three points.
“For me the rule is nonsense because the goalkeeper kicks the ball at me from very close range, but I would like to watch the scene myself first and get an idea. It’s bitter for us because we invested everything today and unfortunately it wasn’t enough for three points. Now we can’t bury our heads in the sand, we have to move on. The faith is definitely there.”
„At the beginning of the game we didn’t have the access we had imagined. We then changed, retreated a bit and waited for mistakes. That’s how we came into the game better. The equaliser gave us energy. In the second half, Bremen had more possession of the ball, but overall we defended well and also had one or two chances to counterattack. The game can then go either way. We were hoping for a bit of luck today. That it would end like this in the end. It’s extremely bitter. You can be angry with the rule, but not with the referee. Even if it was very emotional at that moment. Now we have to take the point with us and look forward.“
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.
SV Darmstadt 98 successfully completed their second pre-season friendly, defeating Verbandsliga side VfR Fehlheim 8-0 (4-0).
