Home strength continues in 2026!

The match at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor started at a high tempo, with both teams registering early shots on goal. Following a corner in the second minute, the ball landed at the feet of Marco Richter, whose low effort was easily gathered by the Nürnberg goalkeeper. Shortly afterward, the visitors also threatened from a corner: Lochoshvili’s shot was comfortably collected by Marcel Schuhen.

In the following period, both teams largely neutralised each other in midfield. Dangerous attacks in front of goal were scarce for long stretches, as both defensive lines played with concentration. It wasn’t until around the 20-minute mark that the Club registered their next opportunity, when Porstner was thwarted by a strong save from Schuhen. Shortly afterwards, Darmstadt again approached the opposing goal, but a shot from Richter missed the target by a considerable margin on 27 minutes.

Just before halftime, things got tense again in the Darmstadt penalty area. Justvan had the best chance of the match so far, but Schuhen made a superb reflex save to tip the ball over the crossbar. The teams went into the break with the score at 0-0.

After the restart, the pattern of play remained largely unchanged: both teams struggled to create clear-cut scoring opportunities. It wasn’t until after the hour mark that the Nürnberg penalty area became dangerous – and Darmstadt promptly capitalised on this spell to take the lead. After the Nürnberg defence initially cleared Maglica’s header, the rebound fell to Hiroki Akiyama in the space behind the defense. The Japanese midfielder wasted no time and curled home to make it 1-0 for Darmstadt 98.

Darmstadt were clinical in front of goal, ruthlessly exploiting the space they were given. In the 75th minute, a counter-attack led to the 2-0: After a Nürnberg corner was cleared, Richter quickly launched the ball deep into the opposition’s half. There, Luca Marseiler won the footrace against his Justvan and calmly clipped the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.

In the closing stages, Darmstadt squandered further opportunities to extend their lead on the counter-attack. However, as the Lilies‘ defence allowed the visitors few dangerous shots on goal, the lead remained secure until the final whistle. With a solid team performance, SV 98 secured the home victory.