On one strand

The team on the pitch, the lily fans in the stands. “In the stadium you could tell that there was a sense of togetherness,” Torsten Lieberknecht later made clear at the press conference. That’s why the team did a complete lap around the Darmstadt stadium after the final whistle. Not on the field, but behind the advertising board directly along the fences with the fans‘ hands outstretched – from the south stand along the entire back straight to the north and back to the main stand. Not to celebrate despite defeat, but to demonstrate the close connection with one’s own supporters. “The look into the faces of the fans is extremely powerful. “Our fans once again demonstrated their instinct today,” emphasised Fabian Holland.

Before the game, the south stand as well as the back straight and the A block had already announced the motto “All together now” in a joint statement. It only works together. Even during the warm-up it was clear that the team was ready to take the whole stadium with them. Instead of running directly into their half as usual, the Lilies first made a complete lap through the Böllenfalltor on the field and received cheering applause from all ranks. And in the 90 minutes, SV Darmstadt 98 left their blue and white hearts on the pitch despite the 2:5 defeat against FC Bayern Munich. Holland: “The fans saw that we tried everything and left everything on the pitch.”

Right from the start, the Lilies threw themselves at all balls that flew even remotely in the direction of their own goal. “We defended well at the back and threw ourselves into everything,” acknowledged Tim Skarke, who provided a great moment during the first half and caused the Böllenfalltor to tremble with his goal to make it 1-0. This is also proof that it only works together. Mathias Honsak, who had previously dribbled his way through the defense of the German record champions, could also have finished himself. “But he sees me and puts his pass to me. You could see the team spirit on this goal,” praised SV 98’s number 27.

The South Hessians showed themselves to be courageous and, above all, passionate on the defensive. The Lilies also flashed their offensive courage several times. Skarke and Oscar Vilhelmsson scored two goals together against the record champions. The Swedish attacker also hit the crossbar and Sebastian Polter hit the post. And then Manuel Neuer kept his team in the game with a Honsak finish in the first half. But it is also clear that SV Darmstadt 98 was exposed to the brutal quality of FC Bayern Munich throughout the entire game. The statistics would later count 7:27 shots on goal in favour of Munich. The record champion? They have an exceptional team that, alongside so many other world-class players, also has an absolutely exceptional player in its ranks, Jamal Musiala. He entered the top scorer’s list twice, as did Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry and Mathys Tel once each. “It was difficult to defend Bayern’s power,” Skarke had to admit and then clearly added: “We stuck with it and did never put back. We never lost faith and performed as a team. That must give us courage.”

Courage for the challenging game days that are coming. But first the Bundesliga says goodbye as we head into the international break. But then immensely important weeks await SV Darmstadt 98, who must score points in these to keep their dream of staying in the league alive. “We know that the next few weeks are crucial,” said Holland. First there are the two away games in Bochum and Mainz, then it’s at home against Freiburg and then away again against Cologne. While the Lilies are still at the bottom of the table with 13 points, the gap to the relegation place that Mainz currently holds is six points. And it is clear to everyone involved that this gap must begin to melt as quickly as possible. Torsten Lieberknecht: “If we want to achieve something big, which is still possible, we should continue to believe in it and not let up as a community in this difficult league and this challenging season.” Because this Saturday afternoon showed one thing, despite the 2:5 defeat against Bayern Munich: It only works together.