Analysis: A victory for the community

The early double blow: Less than three minutes had been played when Isac Lidberg sank the ball into the far corner with a flick. A moment that the Lilies had been longing for over the past few weeks. The South Hesse team had gone four games without scoring, now the Swede got the game off to an early start in the game against FC Schalke 04. And that wasn’t enough. The 26-year-old was there again in the 5th minute and increased the score to 2-0 with a lob. The stadium literally exploded and the team enthusiastically celebrated this double moment of happiness. „It feels incredibly good when you’re 2-0 up after five minutes. Simply a great start,“ said Clemens Riedel, while Marcel Schuhen spoke of „fireworks in the first few minutes.“

These fireworks visibly gave SV 98 self-confidence and also the necessary energy that Florian Kohfeldt’s team needed in many intense duels this Sunday. The Lilies certainly won 55 percent of the duels because the Lidberg double strike gave all players a positive feeling. The goalscorer himself stated after the end of the game that he “didn’t think for long” in both situations. What sounds logical, the Darmstadt team had identified in the previous weeks as a problem in the opponent’s penalty area. Too much thought in the decision-making process, which ensured that the right moments to finish or play were missed. Now Lidberg’s ‚thoughtlessness‘ provided the basis for a successful afternoon. And with it the first victory in 2025.

The interaction with the fans: Even when warming up before the game, the special atmosphere in the Merck Stadium was palpable. A mixture of tension and anticipation for this duel between two traditional teams, coupled with the longing for the first success of the year and awareness of the sporting situation. Conversely, it was also important for the players with the Lily on their chest to form an even stronger bond with the supporters before kick-off. “We wanted to take them even more with us, which is why we went into the corner again before the game and into the back straight,” revealed captain Riedel. „We need everyone who has sympathy for the Lilies in them,“ said Marcel Schuhen, who added with a view to the fans: „That was exactly the right atmosphere for this game. Extraordinarily good.“

Florian Kohfeldt rightly spoke of a “great interaction” between the team and the Lily fans; the symbiosis between the field and the stands became a very important piece of the mosaic in the overall picture of the home win. In the past week, the sports department and fan representatives exchanged ideas and identified points in order to further optimise the stadium experience. Among other things, with small gestures that had a big impact. And then they also did their part to ensure that everyone could celebrate together after the final whistle.

Defensive work: 0.09. This was FC Schalke 04’s xGoals value on Sunday. Kohfeldt and Riedel spoke in unison about not being able to remember any great opportunities for the Royal Blues. The Lilies did their job defensively throughout the entire match and were rewarded with their second clean sheet of the season. “We defended well in the box. We defended well from set pieces,” said Kohfeldt. Although the guests hit a total of eleven corners into the SV 98 penalty area, none of these situations got difficult. “It feels very good,” Riedel revealed in view of the clean sheet and particularly included the offensive players in his analysis, who were able to give the defense time and again a break with their work against the ball.

The development of some players: „Today was a victory for a team.“ With these words, head coach Kohfeldt gave the home win a title. And in his analysis, the 42-year-old highlighted those who were more often on the bench over large phases of the season. „I’m really happy about the development of those who are now in the team. The boys who have recently had their times are developing. Bueno played an outstanding game today, Papela did a lot of important things for us. I would like to highlight that.“

Phases in our own possession of the ball: „We were very good at switching, but not good at calm possession of the ball,“ summed up Florian Kohfeldt after the final whistle. There have certainly been a number of games this season in which SV 98 exuded greater security and dominance with the ball at their feet, but in these encounters – often against deep opponents – they sometimes lacked the ultimate penetration. Next Sunday in Magdeburg, the quality of possession of the ball will be very important. Against Magdeburg, who are very good at passing and on the ball, they will need to have periods of possession of the ball themselves in order not to allow the FCM game to be imposed on them. At the same time, the high level of switching can be maintained – because there is certainly a chance against the current fourth-place team.

The 5th yellow card for Clemens Riedel: So far, the central defender has been in the starting line-up in all 26 competitive games. The 21-year-old will now have to watch for the first time in Magdeburg. “It’s annoying,” said the central defender, reflecting on his fifth booking this season. But the Lilies have already shown several times this season that they can compensate for failures. Kohfeldt already spoke on Sunday of “various options” to compensate for Riedel’s absence.