Blueprint

The score was 1-1 in the 47th minute: Darmstadt went into the locker room with a 1-0 lead on Saturday afternoon. A flattering result from a South Hessian perspective, there was no doubt about that. And yet, naturally, a good starting position for the second half. „The lead was very fortunate, we addressed that at halftime and wanted to do better,“ said Fraser Hornby, who, along with his teammate, then very quickly had to swallow a bitter pill.

Not even two minutes had been played after the restart when Semir Telalovic scored the equaliser for the hosts. „Well deserved,“ as Florian Kohfeldt rightly remarked. At the same time, however, the goal also made it clear that Darmstadt’s luck from the first 45 minutes had run out. Up to that point, there had been a sense that Arminia might not have been able to convert all their efforts into anything tangible, that their dominance might have turned into a reckless onslaught as the game wore on. But the equaliser put a stop to all these eventualities. The stadium erupted, and the Arminia fans subsequently shifted into high gear. In the 51st minute, only a narrow offside prevented another goal, which Bielefeld deservedly made up for in the 82nd minute. The 1-1 scoreline was a catalyst for DSC, who had already been playing with great energy and whose belief in a home victory was further reinforced by the goal. SV 98, on the other hand, rarely managed to reach the same level of play as the hosts.

Admittedly, not much. The match in Bielefeld was probably SV 98’s weakest performance of the season. In contrast, Bielefeld delivered „their best performance of the season,“ as confirmed by DSC head coach Mitch Kniat. This discrepancy was evident throughout almost the entire match. On the positive side, Matej Maglica’s seventh competitive goal of the season and the return of Matthias Bader, who was able to get some playing time after his meniscus surgery, are certainly highlights. Darmstadt also managed to clear many of Bielefeld’s crosses and, in particular, their numerous set pieces from danger. Admittedly, this is small consolation, as Maglica explained: „We cleared a lot of things, but then you also need to relieve the pressure, hold onto the ball, and draw free kicks. We didn’t manage that at all.“

And so, the most positive takeaway from the away defeat could be a future-oriented one. The lesson for the coming weeks, which Florian Kohfeldt also emphasised: „That was a blueprint for what will happen in the next six matchdays. We have to learn that this intensity and energy will be there week after week.“

Wrong decision: Darmstadt went into the match with the basic idea of ​​bypassing Bielefeld’s high press using skillful play from their own back four. If necessary, a long chip over the pressing hosts was also a perfectly acceptable tactic. The problem? Neither approach worked, as head coach Kohfeldt had to admit: „We made a lot of wrong decisions. If you want to bypass Bielefeld’s press, you have to play quickly. We played too slowly. If you want to play it long, you need good positioning for the second ball and good counter-movements. We weren’t well coordinated today.“

SV 98 struggled to break down Arminia Bielefeld’s well-structured build-up play, while Bielefeld also won the majority of the second balls. „From the outset, we didn’t show what characterises us as a team,“ summarised Fraser Hornby. The Lilies‘ versatility in possession is a strong characteristic this season. They failed to translate that onto the pitch at the Alm.

The intensity: Bielefeld runs, Bielefeld presses, Bielefeld is intense. In almost all these categories, Arminia belongs to the top group in the second division. The Lilies were prepared for this. But they still couldn’t „match the intensity,“ as Hornby put it. While SV 98 also recorded good statistics in terms of running and sprints at the Alm, DSC was a touch superior in this respect. That in itself isn’t a disgrace, as almost all of the East Westphalians‘ opponents face the same challenge. Coupled with the inaccuracies and poor decisions that SV 98 made far too often this Saturday, a mix was created that made it incredibly difficult to leave the Alm with anything tangible. Darmstadt experienced this painfully on this 28th matchday.

Yellow cards: The cautions also contributed to the unpleasant story of a disappointing afternoon. Fabian Nürnberger received an early yellow card, a clear handicap for the left-back in his duel with the skillful dribbler Momuluh. The cards shown to Kai Kleisch and Isac Lidberg also had consequences beyond the game itself; both will miss the upcoming match against Hannover 96 due to suspension.