Bölle-Energy

Darmstadt’s first half ended with a massive blow after Patric Pfeiffer was sent off in the 44th minute, and the resulting free kick, deflected in the most unfortunate way imaginable, found its way into the net. 3-2 down. Half-time whistle. Florian Kohfeldt later described the scenario as a „worst-case scenario,“ and many spectators at the Merck Stadium wouldn’t have bet a penny on SV 98 at the break. They couldn’t be blamed. Elversberg had been too strong in the first half, the final blow of the first half was too painful, and the burden of being a man down against the Saarlanders seemed too great.

„You can crumble under those circumstances,“ Kohfeldt reflected, but he witnessed the exact opposite from his team. In the 51st minute, Hornby scored to make it 3-3, immediately putting his words from the locker room into action. „The energy was special,“ said captain Marcel Schuhen, looking back on the second half, in which all the Darmstadt players truly pulled together. Ten Darmstadt players ran, tackled, and worked tirelessly on the pitch in special jerseys – driven on by an extremely vocal crowd that contributed to a „fantastic Bölle evening,“ as Kohfeldt quite rightly described the match.

Naturally, in the aftermath and analysis of the game, the first half will be viewed very critically, as Darmstadt were already leading 2-0 after 15 minutes but still went into the break trailing. However, the team’s reaction to this will be the defining story of this memorable top-of-the-table clash. „I’m incredibly proud of how the team fought back. That was a true Darmstadt 98 performance,“ summarised Paul Fernie, who added: „It’s only one point, but it’s a victory for morale.“

Despite all the pride, no one turned a blind eye to the reality of the league table, which shows SV 98 six points behind the third-place relegation playoff spot with three matchdays remaining. „The probability is minimal,“ explained Marcel Schuhen, and Kohfeldt summarised: „Promotion was never the season’s objective, but when you’ve been near the top for so long, you naturally look to see if anything is possible. And this point isn’t enough to put any more pressure on the top three.“

It’s almost paradoxical that on this evening, when virtually all their promotion hopes vanished, Darmstadt weren’t downcast. Asked about this tangle of emotions on Saturday night, head coach Kohfeldt said: „As a football fan, I’m going home happy. As the coach of Darmstadt 98, who sees the long-term perspective, I’m going home happy. But when I think only about this season, it still hurts that the gap has become too big with just one point.“

A game that perfectly illustrates a bittersweet situation. And it exemplifies what characterises SV 98 and the Böllenfalltor stadium: the strength to always get back up together. „It’s not finished.“ Realistically speaking, that no longer applies to Darmstadt’s promotion dreams. But it could also serve as a motto for the Lilies‘ next steps. Three more games await the team from southern Hesse this season. And anyone who saw the team play against SV Elversberg that evening knows: there will be no easing up. Or, to put it in the words of Paul Fernie: „We want to get as many points as possible.“