Balm for the lily soul. SV Darmstadt 98 ends its months-long winless streak at the RheinEnergie Stadium and beats 1. FC Köln 2-0. A result that probably won't make much of a difference in the final tally, but is still extremely good after such a long time. How did the SV 98 players experience the 90 minutes in Köln? How do both head coaches classify the game? We have summarised all the voices about the game for you.
“We are relieved and happy about these three points. I am also very pleased that we have once again given the city of Darmstadt and our fans a Bundesliga victory. The boys implemented the tactical content well today and even managed tactical things themselves when playing against the ball, especially in the first half. It’s been a hell of a long time since we’ve had a win. So for now we’re just happy.”
“We are extremely disappointed – with the result and the way we presented ourselves throughout the game. We didn’t manage to get our qualities onto the pitch. We had 18 shots on goal, but hardly any of them were dangerous. That is very bitter. Nevertheless, we still have four games ahead of us, mathematically anything is still possible.”
„A great feeling today. The number of 22 games we didn’t win doesn’t sound good, of course, but the win today is all the better. Winning in this stadium in front of so many Darmstadt fans who traveled with us is good for us and the whole club. It’s really cool when you’re standing in front of the curve and the entire guest block is full to the brim with blue and white fans. We’ve been able to reward the fans far too rarely this season for all the kilometers they put in week after week It’s good to give something back to them. It also helped us to be 1-0 up today and be able to counterattack. As we know, we haven’t been able to win such games on many occasions this season . But the 2-0 was the end of the game. The win today showed that we had made progress.
About the relegation battle in the Bundesliga:
„As long as the chance is still there, we will do everything we can to represent the club with decency and honor in the league. We still know that we have left too many points behind – especially in the direct duels.“
„It feels brutally good. We deserved to win 2-0 because we simply played a good game. That’s how we wanted to approach the last games of the season. Köln definitely needed a win today. But we didn’t let ourselves be defeated. Instead, we wanted to absolutely win this game – our fans, who were incredible today, also pushed us enormously. Before kick-off, I said to the team in a circle: „Wear the lily on your chest with pride!“ Every single one of them did that today. You could see on the pitch that everyone was fighting for each other.“
On Saturday afternoon (May 4th/3:30pm) SV Darmstadt 98 VfL Wolfsburg will be guests. You can find all the important information for your visit to the Volkswagen Arena here. For spontaneous Lilien fans: There will be a box office in Wolfsburg.
Press conference in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor. Before SV Darmstadt 98's upcoming away game at VfL Wolfsburg (May 4th/3:30pm), Torsten Lieberknecht took a seat in the PK room. The Lilien head coach answered questions about the rest of the season and the upcoming game. We have summarised the most important statements for you.
The new Sports Director is a guest at the Lilienschänke: On Monday (April 29th) the April fan evening of SV Darmstadt 98 took place with Paul Fernie – an entertaining, exciting evening. Meanwhile, the day before, the Lilies received a lot of encouraging messages via social media – including three former Darmstadt professionals. We also report on Asaf Arania's first appointment to the matchday squad and provide you with information about our fan team. You can find out all this in our weekly section “Lilies across the board”.
On the occasion of the confirmed relegation of the Lilies, the executive board of SV Darmstadt 98 addressed the public with an open letter.
What has to happen for one of the largest Spanish daily newspapers to print the following sentence? “Wolfsburg in the style of Real Madrid!” That was the headline in the newspaper “El Mundo” during the 2014/15 season. VfL had just spectacularly defeated FC Bayern Munich 4-1. “Suddenly Wolfsburg appeared and messed up Bayern’s film,” the Spanish reporters continued in their text. The Lower Saxony team were currently Bayern's number one hunters – well on the way to perhaps even becoming FCB's worst competitor?
“If you know that this day is coming, you can prepare for it to some extent,” said Torsten Lieberknecht in front of rolling TV cameras. At this point late on Sunday evening, there was already certainty in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, which was filled with dejected people, hanging heads and sad faces. The 0-1 defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim sealed SV Darmstadt 98's relegation from the 1st Bundesliga. “But when that day comes, everything you thought about beforehand is gone,” continued the Lilien head coach: “Because it’s just a rubbish moment.”
The result this Sunday means that SV Darmstadt 98's Bundesliga journey is coming to an end. In the coming season, the Lilies will compete in the second Bundesliga. We have summarised here what the Darmstadt protagonists said in front of the microphones after the 0-1 defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim.
The Lilies lose their home game, so it's clear: SV 98 will play in the 2. Bundesliga again next season. The match against 1. FC Heidenheim ended 0-1 (0-0).
Torsten Lieberknecht has to change his starting lineup to four positions compared to the away win at 1. FC Köln. In addition to Aaron Seydel, Clemens Riedel and Klaus Gjasula, Matthias Bader is also out for the duel with 1. FC Heidenheim with a broken nose. Luca Pfeiffer, Christoph Zimmermann, Jannik Müller and Emir Karic move into the starting line-up to replace the injured quartet. Asaf Arania from the U19 is in the Lilies' competitive squad for the first time.
After the away win in Köln now comes our home game with Heidenheim. On Sunday evening (April 28th/7:30pm) the SVD finally wants to win again in front of their own crowd. It is clear that this will not be an easy task against 1. FC Heidenheim, but Torsten Lieberknecht's team still wants to give the lily fans their second win in a row. Before the Bölle gets down to business, we will provide you with all the information about the duel between the Lilies and the guests from Heidenheim.
Next Sunday (April 28th/7:30pm) SV Darmstadt 98 will face fellow promoted team 1. FC Heidenheim. After Torsten Lieberknecht's team finally celebrated another victory in the Rhineland last week, they should also be able to do it at home this week. With a win of their own and some help, the Heidenheimers could stay in the league three match days before the end. But before the Lilies meet Frank Schmidt and “his” Heidenheimers, you will find all the important facts about the game here. What gives hope for the second win in a row? What are the strengths of the people of Baden-Württemberg? And which lily became a professional in Heidenheim? You can find out in our top facts about the game.
About the success in Köln, the upcoming duel with 1. FC Heidenheim (April 28th/7:30pm) and the staff: Torsten Lieberknecht answered questions about these and other topics at the press conference on Friday (April 26th). We have put together the most important statements from the head coach for you.