Analysis: Courage and Morale

The decisive blow. After the final whistle, the statistics showed a combined total of 36 shots on goal for both teams. The 35th attempt was the one that would decide the game. Killian Corredor backheeled the ball to Hiroki Akiyama, and the Japanese player fired it into the net off the inside of the post. 94th minute, 3-2. „After the winning goal, we just exploded,“ Akiyama’s midfield partner, Kai Klefisch, later summarised, and Marcel Schuhen explained to the ARD microphone: „It’s almost telling that the ball went in off the inside of the post after both teams had hit the woodwork a total of five times.“

Akiyama’s shot decided a match that Florian Kohfeldt, among others, fairly described as a „draw.“ A game in which both teams displayed exhilarating attacking football at times, offering all spectators a true spectacle. Darmstadt were all the more delighted by their number 16’s lucky punch. „When you score the winning goal so late, momentum is always a factor,“ Schuhen summarised, before drawing a conclusion that was as brief as it was fitting: „That was fun.“

The opening phase: „We wanted to play from our own strengths and not reactively. The first 15 minutes impressively demonstrated that,“ revealed Florian Kohfeldt after the game, referring to his team’s game plan. What the 43-year-old meant was that Darmstadt pressed the technically gifted Hannover side high up the pitch during their build-up play and repeatedly forced turnovers – including the opening goal by Killian Corredor in the 5th minute. Conversely, the team from southern Hesse remained unfazed by Hannover’s aggressive pressing and resolved many situations with courage and skillful play. „That takes guts,“ Kohfeldt explained with a grin, adding: „Since Oliver Kahn, you’re allowed to say that.“

Darmstadt were promptly rewarded for their courageous play in the opening phase, but unfortunately, they couldn’t maintain this momentum throughout the entire first half. More on this in „That didn’t go well.“

The second half: When referee Wolfgang Haslberger blew his whistle for halftime, everyone supporting Darmstadt could breathe a sigh of relief. In the fifteen minutes before the end of the first half, Hannover 96 had launched a veritable onslaught, repeatedly threatening Marcel Schuhen’s goal. „Hannover could have been further ahead,“ admitted Florian Kohfeldt, who, along with his team, used the break to take control of the game after the restart. „Hannover kept us in the game, and that’s why I was optimistic at halftime that the situation would change.“

And so it did. From the restart, Darmstadt dominated the match, enjoying plenty of possession (against the team with the most possession in the league) and once again getting off to a lightning start through Killian Corredor. A turning point in the game for which Marcel Schuhen had an explanation: „Hannover had this extremely intense period of pressure, in which they invested a lot. That kind of thing takes its toll. The halftime break then provided a respite. After that, we were clearly dominant and played a really good game.“

Until the 65th minute, Darmstadt were clearly the better team after the break, missing a chance to extend their lead through Fraser Hornby and consistently keeping the offensively potent Lower Saxons away from their goal. As the game wore on, it became an open, end-to-end affair, with both sides having opportunities to score the winning goal, which ultimately went to Darmstadt.

„We were very courageous, which I was very pleased about,“ revealed Schuhen, while Kohfeldt summarised: „We played a very good second half.“

Crucial to the turnaround was also the belief in their own strength, which Kai Klefisch emphasised afterward, thus leading to the third point on our positive list.

The morale: „The morale was incredible.“ Klefisch described Darmstadt’s resilience and courage on Saturday afternoon as the team’s „trump card“ in the match against Lower Saxony. He explained that the two goals conceded in the first half, combined with Hannover’s period of sustained pressure before the break, could have easily unsettled the team, but the „belief“ in a comeback was present in everyone at halftime, as Klefisch, Schuhen, and Kohfeldt all emphasised. Kohfeldt elaborated on the concept of morale: „We remained calm after the second part of the first half. That says something about our morale. We kept our composure, but at the same time, we were intense.“

Furthermore, the team accepted and implemented the slight tactical adjustments before the restart very well, which was also a sign of their renewed morale, as these tweaks can only work if the team is united in its pursuit of success.

The two goals conceded. As strong as Hannover were in the quarter-hour before the half-time whistle, the Lower Saxons struggled at the start of the match. It was therefore particularly frustrating that Darmstadt allowed the hosts back into the game with two unforced errors. „The goal conceded from a set piece was unfortunate,“ said Florian Kohfeldt about the equaliser, in which his team failed to clear the ball from the danger zone, thus inviting Hannover to score through Ime Okon (18th minute). Kolja Oudenne’s (admittedly very impressive) goal to make it 2-1 in the 33rd minute was preceded by a misplaced pass in Darmstadt’s build-up play. Annoying, but also a scene that was viewed positively after the final whistle: „The turnovers in attack also demonstrate that we want to stick to our courageous style of play. Mistakes are part of that, although of course they shouldn’t result in goals against us,“ Klefisch summarised, and Marcel Schuhen also repeatedly emphasised the „courageous style of play“ of the Lilies.

Nevertheless, both incidents really got Hannover going and fueled the hosts‘ period of sustained pressure before halftime. With a 2-1 lead, 96ers pinned Darmstadt back in their own half. Källmann (37th minute) was denied by Schuhen, hit the crossbar four minutes later, Oudenne struck the post in the 43rd minute, and just seconds later Taibi could have added another goal. Four clear-cut chances within seven minutes. „We lost our heads a bit. We weren’t challenging passes, we weren’t changing positions, it was a bit chaotic. We conceded far too much,“ summarised Kohfeldt.

„We were a bit too hesitant, we were lacking a few percent, and Hannover played it out very well in tight spaces,“ Kleifsch also recognised, admitting that the hosts could have been further ahead at halftime. But Darmstadt also had two great chances shortly before the break through Fabian Holland and Hiroki Akiyama’s shot that hit the crossbar. Two scenes that hinted at the turnaround after the break. Nevertheless, the team from southern Hesse should avoid such phases in the future; luck is not a reliable companion in professional football.