Analysis: A special half hour

Fraser Hornby’s goal made it 3-2. Several players delivered strong performances for SV 98 on Saturday evening, but one stood out above all others: Fraser Hornby. The 26-year-old Scot orchestrated the pressing game as usual, racking up numerous sprints and kilometres, and with two goals and an assist, he played a huge part in the Lilies‘ home victory. In the 63rd minute, the forward was played in by Marco Richter and confidently fired home from 18 meters. 3-2, game turned around. The Merck Stadium erupted, and Hornby shouted his joy into the freezing night air.

„A superb player,“ praised Merveille Papela, who was asked about his teammate, adding: „He’s a role model.“

This was evident in his goal to make it 3-2, a goal Hornby scored with determination, combining his refined technique with power, and whose celebration radiated: I believe in this team and in my own strength. Fraser Hornby? The player of yesterday’s match. The 3-2 goal? The defining moment of the game.

The first 10 minutes: „We started well, combined very well, and scored a beautiful goal,“ explained Paul Fernie, reflecting on Darmstadt’s start to Saturday evening’s match. On the slippery pitch, the team from southern Hesse moved the ball around effectively, and a wonderful combination involving Killian Corredor, Sergio Lopez, and Fraser Hornby resulted in an early lead in the 11th minute. A near-perfect start to a game that was later interrupted for almost seven minutes due to smoke from pyrotechnics. An unplanned break that seemed to take the wind out of Darmstadt 98’s sails. More on that later.

The final 30 minutes: Isac Lidberg’s equaliser in the 58th minute heralded a half-hour in which Darmstadt displayed „very good football“ (Kohfeldt). They played bravely and purposefully, their passing was perfectly timed, they won their challenges, and they consistently looked to create chances in behind the defence. Hornby scored in the 63rd minute, Richter and Nürnberger were both denied by Fürth goalkeeper Schlieck, and Lidberg also missed a chance to add a fourth goal shortly afterward. Papela then completed the scoring with a header in the 79th minute. Darmstadt’s football was exhilarating. „We made a few adjustments, changed a few things, and then it was really good,“ Hornby summarised. Moreover, this period impressively demonstrated what Fernie succinctly put it: „The team has conviction; they don’t let situations shock or set them back. The lads showed a superb mentality.“

Just like in Hannover, Darmstadt fought back from a 1-2 deficit and ultimately secured the three points. „We’ve grown closer as a team and want to maintain this spirit,“ said Papela, who, along with Fabian Nürnberger and Marco Richter, visibly injected energy into the game, leading us to our third point on this list.

The substitutions: „The substitutions were crucial; Marco, Mey, and Fabi deserve special praise.“ Paul Fernie didn’t have to think long to identify one of the main reasons for Saturday evening’s turnaround. Marco Richter had already replaced starting eleven debutant Yosuke Furukawa at halftime, while Papela and Nürnberger were brought on shortly after the 1-2 goal. And all three contributed to the comeback with their performance. „The support from the bench was excellent,“ Kohfeldt summarised, and Papela himself explained: „This shows that you really need everyone. The players off the bench are just as important as the guys who start.“

A mere 50 minutes. Kohfeldt: „Fürth was very difficult to play against. After the first ten minutes, they dominated the game for 50 minutes.“ While Darmstadt started the match strongly, it took them a long time to find their rhythm again after the break. „Then we became sloppy with the ball. The passing wasn’t coordinated, the timing wasn’t quite right. And we gave the ball away too easily,“ Fernie analysed with great honesty, while Kohfeldt succinctly summarised: „I didn’t like that.“

„We weren’t good, not precise enough, and had problems getting our passing game going,“ said Fraser Hornby, an assessment shared by Papela: „After the 1-0 and the break, it took us a while to get into the game. But the coach found the right words at halftime.“

Furthermore, Darmstadt 98 adjusted their system slightly, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation, which allowed the team from southern Hesse to regain control of the game. However, despite the victory, those 50 minutes are something to work on. „It won’t always work that such a final half hour follows,“ cautioned Kohfeldt, describing the performance as „mixed overall.“

Naturally, the head coach was immensely pleased with the ultimately deserved home win, and we’ll leave it at that one point on our „negative“ list. However, we are quite certain that analysing this period will be a significant part of the initial training week.