Bitter away defeat

In their away match at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, the Lilies got off to the perfect start after just three minutes: Following an inaccurate pass in the build-up, Fraser Hornby was alert, won the ball, and passed it to Kilian Corredor. The Frenchman’s shot was parried by Krahl in the home team’s goal, and Luca Marseiler fired the rebound into the net. A few minutes later, SVD had another chance, but Isac Lidberg’s header flew over the bar on 6 minutes. A minute later, the home side had their first shot: Yokota shot from the edge of the box, but the shot was blocked.

In the tenth minute, according to the officials, Marseiler fouled his opponent in the penalty area. After four minutes, the referee, together with VAR, awarded a penalty to FCK. A more than questionable decision which wasn’t clear and obvious. Ritter, in any case, converted safely to make it 1-1 on . A little later, the SVD had a great chance to take the lead again: Again, the hosts played a ball out poorly, Hornby shot immediately, but was denied by the foot of Krahl on 18 minutes.

The Lilies then scored again on 32 minutes: Following a corner, Clemens Riedel met the ball in the middle and Lidberg pushed the ball over the line. However, the goal was disallowed because Hornby, who was close to play and in an offside position.

In stoppage time of the first half, the hosts finally took the lead: Ache made it 2-1 in the 7th minute. This goal displeased the Lilies, as referee Braun blocked Hornby as he moved to challenge for the ball, thus ensuring that FCK could intercept Marcel Schuhen’s long ball.

Four minutes after the interval, a Lilies corner again posed a threat: Riedel saw his header from a tight angle tipped around the post. Overall, Darmstadt now had more attacking opportunities, but mostly without any decisive shots.

The game, however, was less entertaining overall than in the first half. After 68 minutes, Lidberg had a good shot but was denied by the keeper – a goal that would have been disallowed due to an offside position. The hosts now tried to hold on to their lead, barely managing to create any offensive opportunities themselves.

The Lilies‘ efforts, however, were not rewarded, and the hosts secured a flattering victory.