It happened in their 15th home game of the season. Darmstadt lost on their own turf. Deservedly so. Although SV 98 tried everything against the visitors from Hannover until the final whistle, the Lower Saxons proved too strong on Saturday evening. In our analysis, we take another look at the match.
In our analysis today, we’re not looking at a typical „game-changing moment,“ but rather a more symptomatic sequence. In the 92nd minute, Fraser Hornby headed a free kick from Marco Richter against the crossbar. A few centimetres wide of a late consolation goal that would certainly have sparked three or four charged and energetic final minutes. „It just wasn’t meant to be today,“ summarised Marcel Schuhen, and Florian Kohfeldt explained succinctly: „That sums up the day.“
With that, the Darmstadt head coach hit the nail on the head. Because SV 98 wasn’t just lacking that little something extra. Hannover had the edge in the direct duels – especially in the first half – they were a touch more precise in their passing and more efficient in two chances.
Before his shot hit the crossbar, the striker had already squandered two other opportunities, and Fynn Lakenmacher and Yosuku Furukawa also missed chances to pull one back in a frantic final phase. No one would deny Hannover’s deserved victory that evening; rather, Saturday night and SV 98’s first home defeat since May 3, 2025, could be summarised as follows: The Lilies tried a lot, but it wasn’t enough against a strong Hannover side. Hornby’s header was a fitting illustration of this.
Let’s stay with the final stages. Despite being down 2-0 and the visitors‘ strong performance, Darmstadt pressed hard for a goal in the final minutes. Florian Kohfeldt emphasised this again in the post-match press conference: „After the second goal, we had the feeling that it was going to be very difficult. But one character trait of my team stands out very positively: We don’t give up!“
This phase also demonstrated that Darmstadt 98’s belief in their own strength is absolutely present, even in such moments. „We all had the feeling that if we made it 2-1, then something would be possible again,“ said Marcel Schuhen, who added: „That’s the conviction we have after the season so far.“
It wasn’t meant to be on this Saturday evening. Deservedly so, as Hannover had been the better team throughout the entire match. Nevertheless, the final stages can be highlighted positively, and the team’s mentality can be taken as an important attribute for the remaining five games.
This phase also made it clear that Darmstadt 98’s belief in their own strength is absolutely present, even in such moments. The support of the Darmstadt fans: After the final whistle, Florian Kohfeldt stood with his team directly in front of the South Stand and participated in the traditional S-V-D chant. The head coach of SV 98 usually leaves these moments to his team, especially when it comes to celebrating victories together. After the match against Hannover, however, the 43-year-old felt it was important to be involved in this matchday ritual: „The support from our fans today was fantastic. I felt the need to show my connection with the fans because I feel their bond. We are very grateful for how they have supported us today and throughout the entire season. I’m looking forward to the coming weeks with them.“
The direct duels: „In the first half, Hannover won almost every one-on-one duel, both offensively and defensively.“ What Florian Kohfeldt addressed with his usual honesty and clarity after the game had indeed become very evident in the first 45 minutes. Hannover won the decisive duels, were just a touch more alert and clever. Looking at the game as a whole, Darmstadt even had the better tackle success rate (52%), but they only managed to win the offensive duels in the final quarter of an hour. Hannover, on the other hand, managed from the outset to emerge victorious from one-on-one situations with a certain regularity, thereby creating danger. The exceptional quality of their wingers is perhaps Hannover’s greatest strength. This was also clearly demonstrated on matchday 29. And it ensures that in every match, the opponent has to carefully weigh the risks, as Marcel Schuhen explained: „Today we played against a top team. Even after going down 1-0, you can’t open up against a team like that; their wingers are too strong.“
The 2-0: „We were a bit asleep there,“ Schuhen admitted, referring to Thordarson’s goal in the 56th minute. While there were initially some protests from Darmstadt after the goal due to the quick execution of the free kick, everything was technically correct. And so the situation could be boiled down to what the Darmstadt captain succinctly summarised in one sentence: „We have to be clever there.“ The visitors possessed that cleverness and quick thinking at that moment and ruthlessly exploited it to effectively seal the victory.
We've seen Lilies that have tried everything. That's the foundation at this location.
The first dates for SV 98's preparations for the 2026/27 second division season have been set: On June 25th, the professional team will return to the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor to undergo various medical tests and performance diagnostics. The first team training session will take place on June 27th in the Odenwald region.
Who will SV Darmstadt 98 face in the first round of the DFB Cup? This question will be answered this coming Saturday (June 6th). The draw for the first round will be broadcast live on ARD's Sportschau. We'll be taking a look and providing you with all the information. We'll also be celebrating with the fan team's survival in the Kreisklasse B (eighth tier) and taking a look across the border to Texas in the USA. All this and more for you in "Lilies Across the Board" on Wednesday.
Fraser Hornby's time at Darmstadt 98 comes to an end after three years. The Scottish attacking midfielder is moving to VfL Wolfsburg. Both clubs have agreed to keep the transfer fee confidential.
An eight-goal thriller to close out the season. The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team took to the pitch one last time this season on Saturday (May 30th) – away against FC Eddersheim. The young Lilies secured a 5-3 victory in Eddersheim, finishing the 2025/26 Hessenliga season in eleventh place. Even more remarkable, however, was the U21's run at the end of the season: the Blue and Whites won their last five matches, scoring an impressive 22 goals in the process.
Barcelona, Spain. A global city right on the Mediterranean. Over 1.7 million people live here. And one of them is Clemens Riedel. The 22-year-old former Darmstadt player moved from SV 98 to Espanyol Barcelona last summer – from youth academy to professional in the Spanish first division. We spoke with Riedel about his first year in Barcelona, the past season, and his still close ties to Darmstadt.
SV 98 can continue to rely on the services of Fabian Nürnberger. The Lilies have extended the expiring contract with the Bulgarian international.
Grayson Dettoni will continue to wear the SV 98 jersey. The Lilies have exercised their option to buy the defender, who was previously on loan from FC Bayern Munich.
The German Football Championship for People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) kicks off on Sunday – and it's taking place in Darmstadt's Bürgerpark! Last week, the Darmstadt 98ers' home ground offered a different kind of sporting event: a karate demonstration. We also take a look at the opponents for the new season and celebrate two birthdays this week. You'll find all this and much more about Darmstadt 98 in our usual "Lilies Across the Board".
„I’m proud of you,“ were the words of U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt to the team after they secured their place in the Hessenliga. On Saturday (May 23rd), SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team had the chance to stay in the league against Turabdin Babylon Pohlheim – and they seized it impressively! The young Lilies delivered a convincing 5-1 goal fest, but at the same time still needed help from other teams to guarantee their survival. However, because their direct rivals, CSC 03 Kassel, narrowly lost in Stadtallendorf, the U21 team was finally able to celebrate.
For the fourth time, the Haftpflichtkasse insurance company and SV Darmstadt 98 have jointly awarded four clubs with the Volunteer Award. The award ceremony, including the presentation of the checks, took place last Sunday (May 17th) before the home game against SC Paderborn at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. The Volunteer Award, established in 2023 by the Haftpflichtkasse and SV Darmstadt 98, aims to strengthen volunteer engagement and promote outstanding projects.
