Defeat in Dresden

After the hosts made the better start in the opening five minutes, the „98ers“ settled into the game and began to threaten the Dresden goal. However, just as they were enjoying this more attacking spell, the South Hessians suffered a setback: following a one-two, Jonas Sterner found himself unmarked in front of Marcel Schuhen and slotted the ball home to give the Saxons the lead in the 12th minute.

For much of the ensuing period, Dynamo kept possession in their own half, making it difficult for Darmstadt to create dangerous situations. There were virtually no chances for either side during this phase.

Towards the end of the first half, the „Lilies“ ramped up the pressure and won a series of set-pieces, though they were unable to capitalise on them initially. They went into the break trailing by a narrow margin.

After the restart, the hosts had an early chance, but Schuhen saved a powerful shot from Ben Bobzien, 2 minutes into the half. Dresden then attempted to regain control of the game by passing the ball around in their own half.

It took the „98ers“ a few minutes to find their rhythm. From the 60th minute onwards, the blue-and-whites managed to build up more pressure, though without carving out any clear-cut chances. In the 68th minute, new signing Milan Smit fired a shot from a tight angle following a defensive error by Dresden, but was denied by the goalkeeper.

The „Lilies“ had to play the final twenty minutes or so a man down after Kai Klefisch was sent off for collecting two yellow cards, the first of which was for dissent and the second following 12 minutes later for a challenge in midfield. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the South Hessians pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages.

In the 87th minute, the hosts took advantage of the space that had opened up, but Schuhen produced a brilliant save to tip Jakob Lemmer’s shot against the post. Despite all their efforts, the Darmstadt team failed to score and had to accept a narrow defeat against the hosts.