Analysis: A 0-0 draw doesn’t have to be boring

Lidberg’s shot hits the crossbar. Darmstadt put in a strong performance over 90 minutes in Elversberg, with the opening quarter-hour being particularly outstanding. By adapting their pressing to Elversberg’s build-up play, the South Hessians forced several turnovers in the opening minutes and almost rewarded themselves with another early goal chance after seven minutes through Isac Lidberg. A clever pass from Kai Klefisch was laid off by Sergio Lopez directly to Lidberg, who skillfully turned past defender Le Joncour, but his shot was blocked by Elversberg goalkeeper Kristof, from where it rebounded off the crossbar. This was Darmstadt’s eleventh shot to hit the woodwork – a league record they can certainly do without.

„The goalkeeper did a good job,“ Lidberg explained regarding the incident, but added self-critically: „I should have scored at least one goal today, maybe even two.“

It’s pointless to discuss how an early 1-0 lead would have changed the course of the game, as both teams continued to press forward without being exposed. One thing is clear: the shot that hit the crossbar, coming within centimetres of a goal, will be remembered. And it stands as a symbol for a 0-0 draw that didn’t have to end goalless.

Darmstadt played their own game: „We have to be able to impose our style of play there,“ Florian Kohfeldt had declared at the pre-match press conference, thus setting the game plan for Sunday as early as Friday. After the final whistle, the statistics showed a whopping 54 percent possession for Darmstadt – away at SV Elversberg, who boasted the second-highest possession record in the league before the match and are themselves known for their dominant style of play.

„We had a good structure,“ analysed Kohfeldt, while Marcel Schuhen spoke of a „superb setup.“ Moreover, Darmstadt not only created several good chances but also managed to keep a clean sheet against the league’s best attack. This was by no means due to a weak performance from the hosts, who „played for the win until the very end“ (Kohfeldt) and also created their own opportunities during the match. „Both teams did a lot to make it a high-class game,“ the Lilies head coach aptly summarized, congratulating his team on their performance against an opponent who had not lost at home for 261 days and had already defeated the teams from Nürnberg, Kaiserslautern, Kiel and Fürth on their own ground this season.

The defence: „Of course, Elversberg also had a few chances,“ admitted Kohfeldt, looking back at Sunday’s match, but Darmstadt’s defence did its job more than adequately against SVE. Elversberg failed to score at home for the first time this season, and Darmstadt’s cohesive unit repeatedly managed to keep the hosts away from their goal or was there at crucial moments to defuse dangerous situations. Only on the occasion of top scorer Ebnoutalib’s clear-cut chance did the coordination not work as planned; fortunately, the SVE striker failed to capitalise. Thus, Marcel Schuhen was able to celebrate his sixth clean sheet of the season after the final whistle, and with 13 goals conceded, the South Hessians boast the third-best defence in the league. Along with Elversberg, incidentally.

The finishing. „In such a top match, you don’t get that many high-quality opportunities.“ Florian Kohfeldt and Vincent Wagner agreed on this point after the game. Accordingly, both coaches were somewhat frustrated with the missed opportunity for a late winner, which would have been possible for both Elversberg and Darmstadt. Lidberg, in particular, missed good chances with his shot that hit the crossbar and a header after the break, but Corredor, Vukotic, and Nürnberger could also have scored. „We had chances that we usually take,“ said Nürnberger, who was back in the starting lineup for the first time since his knee injury. However, since the hosts could also have scored, the Bulgarian international’s overall assessment was rather positive: „With a bit more luck, we would have taken three points, but even one point is okay.“

Furthermore, there was little criticism of Darmstadt’s highly structured performance against one of the league’s best footballing teams. Only the injury-related substitution of Fraser Hornby falls into the „That didn’t go well“ category in our analysis.

„Wednesday’s cup match will certainly be very close,“ explained head coach Kohfeldt when asked, but naturally he couldn’t yet give a more precise prognosis regarding the Scot’s injury. Hornby had to leave the field after a good half hour with a thigh problem, and Marco Richter came on in his place. „It’s always difficult when a key player is out,“ revealed Marcel Schuhen in the mixed zone, before adding: „But Marco handled it well, in his own way. We have the squad depth to compensate for something like this. Nevertheless, I certainly hope that Fraser won’t be out for long.“

A wish we gladly echo.