What a scene that took place in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor in the 68th minute of the game. A scene that was emblematic of the entire 90 minutes of SV Darmstadt 98’s 2-0 defeat against Fortuna Düsseldorf. A sharp corner from Paul Will landed perfectly on the head of Fraser Hornby, who powerfully pushed the ball towards the Düsseldorf goal and forced Florian Kastenmeier to make his first of two brilliant saves. Kai Klefisch was in the right place for the rebound that followed, but he too failed with his powerful shot past the Fortuna keeper. Unhappy. Exactly the adjective that best describes both this scene in the 68th minute of the game and SV 98’s opening defeat.
“The defeat is unfortunate,” said Torsten Lieberknecht at the press conference after the game. The head coach also chose this adjective to describe the 0-2 defeat on the first second division matchday of the 2024/25 season. Paul Will and Klaus Gjasula meanwhile decided to use the word “bitter” in their summaries in order to summarise the course of the game and the start of the competitive game from Lilien’s perspective. It wasn’t a playful fireworks display that both sides delivered in the first competitive game of 2024/25. Understandable when you take into account the revamped Lilien team and Fortuna’s relegation second leg. Both teams were in the discovery phase. But overall, the spectators in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor experienced a game at eye level.
Darmstadt kept up well in a balanced game for a long time and limited the individual class of Fortuna, who appeared to be extremely mature, for a long time. And this, mind you, against an opponent who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga in the penalty shoot-out of the relegation second leg last season and is making no secret of the fact that they want to play for the top places again this year. “Düsseldorf is certainly not a walk-in customer,” Gjasula also analysed briefly and succinctly. But neither team was able to gain any real advantage on the field on Sunday afternoon. The same number of shots on goal (11:11), an almost identical share of possession with slight advantages due to the majority situation in the final phase for Düsseldorf (47:53 percent).
The own goal to make it 0-1 from Aleksandar Vukotic, who was convincing with an aerial duel rate of 100 percent and an otherwise good performance, initiated the unfortunate course of the game from Lilien’s point of view. In addition, the missed double chance by Hornby and Klefisch and later the red card against the 17-year-old debutant Othmane El Idrissi after an unsuccessful Vukotic back pass. Overall, there were too many unfortunate scenes to score points against Fortuna Düsseldorf despite a passionate performance. Of course, to reduce everything to just bad luck would be too short-sighted: after an absolutely acceptable first half, the home team didn’t get off to a good start in the second half. And the many promising opportunities and options still rarely resulted in real opportunities.
This motto was announced by the South Stand before the game in their choreography before kick-off. The Lilies on the pitch, who had five new additions to the starting line-up and later substituted three more competitive debutants, ensured with their very decent performance on the pitch, especially in the first half of the game, that the fans in the stands supported the motto with applause and could fill it with life with loud cheering. The fight and commitment were right in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor. At 55:45 percent, the duel rate and the aerial duel rate at 76:24 percent pointed even more clearly in the direction of the Darmstadt team. “It was an overall passionate performance by my team, which was also honored by the audience,” emphasised Lieberknecht. Gjasula’s words went in a similar direction, saying: „We would have liked to start the season with points in front of our fans, who supported us fantastically.“
That’s probably the motto for the new week, at the end of which the away game at SC Paderborn awaits (11.8./1.30pm). “There is still potential for improvement,” explained Will on the microphones. The penetrating power and taking advantage of scoring opportunities on the offensive, for example, or the concentrated defense in your own penalty area. This is what we need to tackle during this training week and reward ourselves with a similarly passionate performance in Paderborn. Gjasula: “Now we want to score points in Paderborn in order to really start the season.” And to use the adjective “unhappy” by omitting the first two letters to ensure a more positive headline after the second matchday.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.
Tickets for the league match in Nürnberg (Nov. 7th) and the cup match in Elversberg (Oct. 27th) are available for purchase now.
For the upcoming home match on Saturday (October 10th, 2026, at 1pm), SV 98 asks you to take note of the following information. Since the start of the season, we have been offering dedicated entrances for women at the west side of the stadium. Additionally, there is a "Bölle Bande" family entrance with easier access at the Karl-Hess-Platz entrance. Please also take note of the information provided by HEAG regarding the autumn break.