Analysis: Two contrasting halves

In our final analysis of 2025, we’re shifting the focus of the „game’s defining moment“ a bit later. The moments after the final whistle encapsulated much of what transpired during the preceding 90 minutes in Paderborn, and indeed throughout the entire first half of the season. The Darmstadt players‘ disappointment with the second 45 minutes on this Friday evening was etched on their faces, their words and gestures expressing frustration at not having maintained the extremely high level of play they’d shown in the first half after the break.

These emotions were accompanied by the continuous chanting from the boisterous away end. The Darmstadt fans expressed their gratitude in this acoustic way for a strong first half of the season for their beloved club, which has only suffered two defeats in 17 matches, amassed a total of 33 points, and will almost certainly spend the winter break in third place in the table.

And so, a smile crept back onto the exhausted faces of one or two SV 98 players in the group Christmas photo with their fans.

„After a 2-0 lead, heads naturally hang a bit after a game like that, and the second half definitely lingers. Overall, though, we’ve had a very solid first half of the season.“ Fabian Holland’s words reflected the mood after the final whistle, but the pride in this first half of the season will only continue to grow in the coming days. The team’s palpable dissatisfaction after securing a point away against the fourth-placed team also underscored a message that head coach Florian Kohfeldt had previously delivered to the TV microphones, reflecting on his tenure so far: „When we started last September, the team went into games with the goal of not losing. That’s the wrong approach in sports. That culture has completely changed.“

The Lilies have transformed into a confident, extremely ambitious team that has brought much joy to itself and its fans this season. The joint graduation photo from 2025 serves as a representative example of this textual section.

The first half: Darmstadt played an impressive first half. Not because they dominated Paderborn in possession and created chance after chance. No, the team from southern Hesse displayed an extremely mature, focused, and effective performance. „We were already sitting deep at times before the break, but we were calm in possession,“ Holland summarised, before elaborating: „We repeatedly created good chances in possession and had a good feeling, not just because of the two goals.“

Marco Richter (4th minute) and Killian Corredor (37th minute) capitalised on two chances before the halftime whistle, and Richter and especially Isac Lidberg could even have added a third goal. „The first half was superb, everything went our way,“ explained Richter, while Florian Kohfeldt spoke of a „very good structure.“ Similar to their home game against Münster, Darmstadt demonstrated in the first half their ability to adapt to different situations, remaining solid defensively and playing with purpose when in possession. Mastering various systems and being willing to approach matches with different tactics is another development that Darmstadt 98 has undergone in recent months. However, the second half proved that there is still plenty of work ahead for the team. But more on that later.

The first half of the season: Darmstadt 98 used various terms to describe their performance in the first half of the 2025/26 season. Marcel Schuhen called it „very mature,“ Fabian Holland „very sensible,“ and Florian Kohfeldt described it as „outstanding.“ Unsurprisingly, the general consensus among the South Hessians was positive.

„If we draw a line under it, we’re in third place with 33 points after 17 matchdays. And this team deserves a lot of praise for that.“ There’s not much to add to Florian Kohfeldt’s assessment. At their home ground, the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, Darmstadt 98 collected a remarkable 21 points and remained undefeated, while in the away table, they occupy a more than respectable sixth place. Added to this is the strong team spirit and a framework within which the players accept and fulfill their roles. Without being complacent, they instead fuel the internal competition with ambition. „We are a really good, cohesive unit,“ praised Richter, while his head coach was already looking forward to the new year: „I’m already excited for a great second half of the season.“

The second half: Despite the joy over this first half of the season and the point earned on Friday evening (Kohfeldt: „An away point in Paderborn is alright.“), it must be said that Darmstadt’s last half of 2025 was not a good one. „Before the break we were really good, after the break we let them completely push us back,“ said Marco Richter, describing what all the spectators had witnessed.

Fabian Holland elaborated further: „We couldn’t do much with the ball anymore. It was almost a relief when we lost possession. Without the ball, the pressure was obviously extremely high, but Paderborn also has enormous quality.“

The veteran was thus on the same page as his head coach, who lamented: „After the break we stopped playing with the ball a bit, that was our problem. We couldn’t relieve the pressure anymore, that was definitely not the plan.“

Accordingly, all Darmstadt fans agreed that SC Paderborn deserved the 2-2 draw based on their performance after the restart, even though the equaliser only came in the 85th minute from a justified handball penalty. Anyone who knows Kohfeldt and his team knows that this second half will be subjected to detailed analysis in the new year. Until then, however, it’s time to take a breather. On January 3rd, SV 98 will kick off their preparations for the second half of the season with a public training session (3pm).