Clear Defeat in Wolfsburg

In the opening stages, the favourites from Wolfsburg enjoyed more possession and created the better chances. The Lilies were fortunate in the 13th minute when Damar fired wide while unmarked. However, Bernhardsson did better a minute later, scoring the opener for the hosts via the inside of the post.

The visitors from southern Hesse had their first good opportunity in the 27th minute: following a strong pass from Kai Klefisch, Hojae Lee struck the outside of the post from 18 metres out, though the play was subsequently ruled offside. The South Korean had another chance a minute later but failed to generate any power on the ball after a delivery from Noah Weißhaupt. Just a minute after that, the Lilies were rewarded for a brief spell of pressure: Klefisch intercepted a clearance and played the ball straight to Milan Smit, who smashed it into the far corner on 29 minutes.

After the equaliser, Darmstadt began to dominate proceedings and came close to taking the lead in the 36th minute: following a corner, Aleksandar Vukotic headed the ball into the centre, but Hojae fired over the bar from close range. Instead, the goal came at the other end: Glatzel headed in a cross from close range with 39 minutes played, sending SVD into the break trailing by a narrow margin.

The 98ers started the second half strongly and were incredibly unlucky in the 49th minute when a long-range shot from Pfeiffer bounced off one post, then the other, before finally landing in the goalkeeper’s arms.

After the Lilies‘ strong start to the half, Wolfsburg regained their footing and promptly extended their lead to 3–1: Reese delivered a cross, and Bernhardsson forced the ball over the line at the far post on 61 minutes. Six minutes later, Damar extended the lead to 4–1 —a scoreline that did not necessarily reflect the run of play.

In the closing minutes, the South Hessian side struggled to get back into the game, and the hosts scored again through Glatzel to seal a 5–1 victory with 10 minutes remaining.