The Lilies lost 3-1 at SC Paderborn in their first away game of the 2024/25 second division season. The 98ers came into the game extremely strong and took the lead they deserved through Oscar Vilhelmsson. But Paderborn's ever-growing team turned the duel in East Westphalia around thanks to three goals in the second half of the game. Accordingly, the Darmstadt protagonists appeared disappointed at the microphones after the final whistle. We have summarised all the voices about the game for you.
“Congratulations to SC Paderborn on their win. You could see that both teams were well prepared. We wanted to stress the opponent early on without putting ourselves in danger. We succeeded. If you look at all three goals conceded after the break, we could have defended all three of them with the necessary consistency. But we reacted well after the goals. After the 1:1 we have to take the lead 2:1 through Fynn Lakenmacher. Even after Paderborn’s goal to go ahead, we still have a chance to equalise. But with 1:3 the game was gone. Overall we had good scenes in both halves. Improvements were also seen in the game compared to the previous week. However, we lost twice and that’s bad.”
“The bottom line is that we deserved to win. We were one goal better over 90 minutes. But we initially conceded the 0-1 result a bit out of nowhere because both teams were good at working against the ball. But at 0-1 we simply made the wrong decision to play for offside. After that it was difficult because Darmstadt had a lot of physical force. We had problems winning the ball. So we had to stay patient. We did that and gradually got the better of our opponents because we kept our foot on the accelerator and went into the break feeling good despite being behind. With the goals to make it 1-1 and 2-1, the momentum tipped in our direction. But we could have conceded a goal against Darmstadt at any time. We had a bit of luck and a good goalkeeper.”
“We had big plans after the opening defeat and started with brutal energy. That’s how we got into the game well, had 20 or 30 really good minutes with a lot of power and force and deservedly took the lead. Towards the middle and end of the first half, Paderborn got stronger, but we were able to defend it well. Even after the 1-1 score, we had a good chance of taking the lead again – also thanks to my header, which I could have pushed better against the direction of the goalkeeper. After that, the Paderborn team created a lot of chances and deserved the win. Nobody wants to start the season with two defeats. We are a newly formed group and still need to grow together. Nevertheless, we saw a lot of good approaches today.”
“We started the game well. We tried to press high and force Paderborn to make mistakes. We managed that well at the beginning. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep it up for the whole game. We were always able to place needle pricks. But then we let Paderborn get back into the game and no longer had the necessary pressure. In the second half we didn’t come out as well as we started the game. The balls from outside to inside broke our necks because we didn’t have a good allocation in the middle. Nevertheless – like last week against Düsseldorf – it wasn’t a bad game for us. And yet after two games we are left with zero points. This is very bitter. But we still have 32 games left in which we can get points.”
Attention Lilien fans: During SV Darmstadt 98’s training camp in Bad Wörishofen (Allgäu region)—taking place from July 19th to July 26th, 2026—there will once again be an opportunity to meet the team, chat with the players, and, of course, get autographs and photos. The fan meet-up is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th, following the friendly match against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. Kick-off for the match is at 12pm.
SV 98 remains active in the transfer market. The "Lilies" have signed Christopher Lannert from Arminia Bielefeld.
Friendly matches, fundraising campaigns, and plenty of photos—that’s what the week looked like for SV 98 and the club’s community. Between their 5–1 victory over FC Homburg and the upcoming friendly in Walldorf this Friday (July 17), the „Lilies“ showed their best side for the cameras. In addition, the SV 98 legends team will face an Odenwald select squad on Sunday (July 19th). You can also win great prizes in competitions taking place in Erbach and at the pop-up store in downtown Darmstadt. Lilies Across the Board brings you all the latest news from life at SV 98.
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.