Analysis: A not pretty, but important home win

We have to admit that there have been a few analyses here on sv98.de this season where it was significantly more difficult for us to pick out just one moment from the game. But not after Saturday’s match at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The game-deciding moment was quickly found. And yet, patience was required at Nieder-Ramstädter-Straße. A full 79 minutes had to pass before Isaac Lidberg buried the ball in the opponent’s net, causing the Bölle to explode. „Even for me as a striker, these games aren’t necessarily the most fun,“ said the match winner in the mixed zone after the final whistle, adding: „But it’s all the more important to be ready for the moment.“ Lidberg was exactly that. He was ready. He showed efficiency. He scored.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning the following: This goal-scoring move was preceded by an initially extremely important ball win by Andreas Müller in counter-pressing. This allowed Jean-Paul Boetius to play an equally outstanding through ball to the goalscorer just a few moments later. Ball win, dream pass, finish: All in all, our scene of the game.

They won. And not in a spectacular way this time. The Lilies had won their five previous home victories by at least two goals and by at least a two-goal margin: 3-1 against Hertha, 2-0 against Schalke, plus the even more decisive home victories against Karlsruhe (3-0), and of course the 5-1 wins against Köln and Kaiserslautern. SV 98 was much closer to taking the lead in the second half than their opponents. At home against Greuther Fürth, however, the South Hesse side managed to win one of those colloquially typical „0-0 games“ for the first time. The Lilies learned on matchday 28 that you don’t always need a football festival to win a game. It can sometimes be an unpleasant, but important 1-0. „That was what we were missing so far this season,“ explained Florian Kohfeldt after the match, adding: „It’s very important to win games like this. This victory is very important for the team’s overall development.“

After all, this season, but especially in the past few weeks, there have been a lot of close games – duels in which the Lilies failed to gain anything, even though it would have been entirely possible to do so. However, Darmstadt either denied themselves the reward through defensive errors of their own or missed prime scoring opportunities. SV Darmstadt 98 is in a developmental season, as Kohfeldt repeatedly emphasises. His team is willing to learn and is committed to constant improvement. The team demonstrated exactly that with their 1-0 home win against Greuther Fürth. They won narrowly – because this time they didn’t allow their opponents any scoring opportunities and took advantage of the one moment their opponents offered.

Stable and efficient. Just last week, in our analysis of the Ulm game, we complained about the Lilies‘ efficiency issues. Overall, Darmstadt needs too many shots on goal to score this season. Their xGoals in recent games have too often been higher than the final result. But not against Greuther Fürth, where they said 1.5. They could hardly have scored more than Isaac Lidberg’s one goal against the compact Kleeblätter. And that also means: The Lilies were finally maximally effective on Matchday 28. They waited for that one scoring opportunity, and they took full advantage of it.

The fact that this was even possible was due to an extremely solid defence. „We showed a very good attitude, worked hard, and didn’t shy away from any challenge,“ praised Lidberg. With a 56 percent win rate, SV 98 underscored its strong defensive performance. Clemens Riedel understandably appreciated this. „It was important to keep a clean sheet today,“ said the SV 98 captain, „and then show efficiency up front.“ The head coach also considered efficiency and stability the decisive factors in this home victory. Kohfeldt: „We didn’t make any mistakes, stayed stable, and took advantage of the one opportunity we had.“ That went well.

Few scoring chances. It was a tough game. Darmstadt didn’t really have many opportunities, and the visitors from Fürth had none at all. Dangerous opportunities in the penalty area were almost completely absent in the first half. This fact, on the one hand, naturally reflected two compact and stable defences. On the other, the Lilies were too rarely able to consistently put the visitors under pressure. Creating many scoring opportunities was clearly difficult for Darmstadt on this Saturday afternoon. They also know that they can play better football. All the more pleasing, however, that this particularly beautifully played goal resulted in the game-deciding 1-0 goal. Isaac Lidberg summed it up later in front of the microphones. And we’ll leave it at this point with his quote: „It wasn’t the prettiest game, perhaps not as attractive for the spectators because there were hardly any chances. But today, all that matters are the three points.“

Still not sure. We would also like to use this category to raise a warning finger and urge everyone to continue to keep their senses sharp. Florian Kohfeldt also did this after the final whistle in a conversation with the journalists present. „It was an important home win, which gives us a good feeling, but no security. We’re still not through and we need to keep scoring points,“ emphasised the SV 98 head coach. With the win, the Lilies now have 34 points, seven points clear of the relegation zone. With 18 points still up for grabs, „we still have to win a few games,“ emphasised Lidberg. The Lilies can start right away with that next weekend at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Injured. The substitution of Fraser Hornby due to injury also deserves mention in this category of our analysis. The SV 98 striker gritted his teeth and tried until he couldn’t anymore. The 25-year-old Scotsman had to be substituted in the 62nd minute. Not only did his team offer him consolation afterward, but the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor also stood behind him, chanting his name repeatedly and loudly. Kohfeldt was unable to provide a diagnosis at the press conference. We wish our number nine a speedy recovery!