Analysis: First half extremely good, poor finishing the weak point.

The equaliser came again. It came during a phase of the game in which SV Darmstadt 98 relinquished control. Following the planned substitutions of Isac Lidberg (46th minute) and Luca Marseiler (63rd minute), the latter was compounded by the unplanned, injury-related substitution of Fraser Hornby. And the Lilies, from then on, lost some of their balance (more on this later). Although Arminia Bielefeld had more of the game after the break until around the 80th minute, the South Hessians still conceded few clear-cut chances. Instead, they continued to defend solidly. A total of 58:42 percent of duels won and an impressive aerial duel success rate of 65:35 percent underlined the South Hessians‘ respectable defensive performance. In the 73rd minute, however, the Lilies weren’t alert enough. They lost track of Bielefeld’s Maximilian Großer on the edge of the penalty area and initially failed to prevent him from getting a shot off. Matej Maglica threw himself in front of the Arminia player’s shot, but unfortunately deflected it past Marcel Schuhen, leaving him with no chance. The score was leveled once again.

The first half. Without making a single change to the starting eleven, Florian Kohfeldt sent out the exact same lineup that had already ignited a veritable firework display in Wednesday evening’s 4-0 DFB Cup victory against FC Schalke 04. He hoped for a repeat of that performance. And the spectators in the sold-out Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor didn’t have to wait long for that first special moment on Saturday evening either. Fraser Hornby put Darmstadt in the lead after just four minutes. After Arminia Bielefeld’s equaliser – a goal seemingly out of nowhere, conceded in a goalmouth scramble – the home side quickly responded through Isac Lidberg. But it wasn’t just the two goals; Darmstadt’s entire performance in the first half was impressive. „The first half was extremely good in terms of performance,“ summarised Florian Kohfeldt. Courageous, energetic, and determined were the first 45 minutes for SV 98. „We played really good football right from the start. The plays were planned, and we utilized the spaces well,“ continued the head coach. Darmstadt even found suitable answers to Bielefeld’s tactical changes, a fact that opposing head coach Mitch Kniat also praised in the post-match press conference. SV 98 also created numerous scoring opportunities. Which brings us to the shortcomings of the first half… You can find more about that under the section on what didn’t go well on this Saturday evening.

The final stages from the 80th minute onwards. As we already mentioned in our „Moment of the Match,“ Darmstadt relinquished control of the game between halftime and the 80th minute. However, it speaks volumes for the team from southern Hesse and their physical condition that they consistently held their own against the most energetic team in the 2. Bundesliga, despite an intense week of midweek fixtures, and ultimately regained control in the closing stages.

As an aside: For the sake of completeness, we should mention that Arminia Bielefeld had to play over 120 minutes in their DFB Cup match away against Union Berlin on Wednesday evening. The 128 kilometres covered by the Bielefeld players at the Merck Stadium therefore deserve recognition.

Darmstadt, however, remained unfazed. They mustered their last reserves of energy and showed in the final stages that they were determined to win the game. Well-worked opportunities from Killian Corredor and Bartosz Bialek could easily have found the back of the net. Coach Kohfeldt agreed: „From the 80th minute onwards, we had our moments and chances that could have led to a victory.“

The conversion of chances. „We were very lucky in the first half,“ said Mitch Kniat, coach of Arminia Bielefeld. He added and emphasised once again: „We could have been 2-0 or even 3-0 down. It was simply luck that we didn’t concede a second and third goal.“ These words alone from the opposing coach impressively demonstrate the sheer brilliance of SV Darmstadt 98’s first half performance. However, the flaw on this evening was that Darmstadt, although scoring two goals in the first 45 minutes, failed to extend their lead. „Because after the first half, there should be no question about who won this game,“ Kohfeldt lamented. While his team had been extremely efficient in front of goal against Schalke, the 98ers squandered several clear-cut chances against Bielefeld. Darmstadt should have built a two- or even three-goal lead in the first half at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. But they didn’t; poor „game management,“ as the Darmstadt head coach later called it. Although SV 98 remained undefeated in their sixth home game of this second-division season and collected another point, they were frustrated about dropping two more points. Fabian Holland: „Considering our first half, we can’t be entirely satisfied with the point.“

The balance. The midweek cup match against Schalke 04 had taken its toll. Isac Lidberg played his most intense game on Wednesday, expending considerable energy. It was therefore clear and agreed upon from the outset that he would only play one half. Luca Marseiler also couldn’t manage more than an hour of playing time. Two planned substitutions were made, to which an unplanned one was added. Fraser Hornby’s substitution after 63 minutes was not anticipated. And the injury-related removal left its mark. „His substitution disrupted the balance in our game,“ explained Kohfeldt, referring to his team’s high pressing. And Bielefeld was thus able to increasingly take control of the match.