Comeback Home Victory!

The opening phase of the Lilies‘ home game against Eintracht Braunschweig was evenly matched and initially lacked any major highlights. The Lilies had their first notable shot on goal in the eighth minute: After a stunning combination, a cross found Fraser Hornby, who cut into the middle, but his shot was saved by the visiting keeper Hoffmann.

In the 22nd minute, the visitors took a surprise lead when Aydin’s long-range effort snuck into the bottom corner. The home side then looked for a quick equaliser, but in the 27th minute, an effort by Killian Corredor was deflected for a corner by Hoffmann who tipped the effort round the post.

However, the 98ers repeatedly lacked the necessary precision and rarely threatened. Shortly before halftime, Sergio López tried a shot from distance but narrowly missed the goal at the far post – and so the teams went into the dressing room with a narrow lead.

After the break, the game noticeably picked up the pace and became increasingly heated. Although Darmstadt’s attacks now appeared much more determined, the visitors had the first big chance: Schuhen made a strong save from Conteh, 6 minutes into the half.

In the 62nd minute, the Lilies finally rewarded their efforts: Following a cross from Luca Marseiler, Hornby shot, but didn’t connect with the ball and inadvertently passed it to Isac Lidberg, who slid the ball over the line from close range for his 5th goal of the season.

The South Hesse side remained the more active team after that and sniffed the lead with just over 10 minutes left of normal time: Following a precise pass from López, Corredor had a shot in the penalty area, but his shot was deflected just in time for a corner.

Five minutes before the end, a long ball was missed by Köhler and he pulled down Lidberg who had snuck past the Braunschweig captain. The referee didn’t hesitate and gave the visiting player his marching orders. Matej Maglica, who had just been substituted on, converted the resulting free kick as he drilled the ball home past the wall and the dive of Hoffmann.