In the end, it was referee Eric Weisbach who blew his whistle three times in the Wildparkstadion, ending the encounter between Karlsruher SC and Eintracht Braunschweig. A big cheer followed on the part of the BTSV. Because a quarter of a year had to pass before the Lions were able to score three points again. Daniel Scherning's team remained without a win in the 2nd Bundesliga for eight games in a row. But this series ended after the game in Karlsruhe. “Winning is always good. Football is only fun when you win. “Today we deserved it with a very committed performance over 90 minutes,” said Braunschweig’s head coach in an interview with Sportschau after the final whistle.
For Eintracht Braunschweig, the victory was also a small step forward in the relegation battle. The team is currently in 16th place in the 2nd Bundesliga with 18 points collected. Due to their recent success, the Lions were able to easily close the gap out of the relegation places and are now only two points behind in 15th place.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Rayan Philippe – 9 Goals | Sebastian Polter – 3 Assists |
| Levente Szabó – 4 Goals | Sven Köhler – 3 Assists |
| Ermin Bicakcic – 2 Goals | Rayan Philippe – 2 Assists |
| Lino Tempelmann – 2 Goals | Levente Szabó – 2 Assists |
| Fabio Kaufmann – 1 Goal | Johan Gómez – 2 Assists |
Daniel Scherning has been in office at Eintracht Braunschweig since November 2023. Nevertheless, he went into the 2024/25 second division season with what “felt like” a new team. Before the start of the round, the Lower Saxony team recorded 17 departures and twelve new arrivals. The epitome of upheaval. How do you form a real team from such a newly thrown together team? “We deliberately chose an early training camp to speed up this integration process so that we could spend a lot of time together early on. I think at the beginning it was 17 days in a row without a day off in between,” the coach explained to the club’s internal media department.
This meant a lot of work for the 41-year-old and his coaching team, which largely remained together apart from the departure of goalkeeping coach Manfred Petz. Before the season, the head coach paid particular attention to practicing different formations – on the one hand, a five-man chain, and on the other hand, in a four-man chain system. “It will be important over the course of a season that we are a little more variable,” said the Braunschweig head coach.
Scherning’s team showed that too. So far he has set up his team in five different systems and adapted the troops to the respective opponents. What is striking, however, is that his team has never defended in a back four.
Run. Run. Run. That shouldn’t matter that much to the Eintracht Braunschweig players. Daniel Scherning’s team is in the top half of the league when it comes to sprints completed this season – 4,643 in number. This means that the people of Lower Saxony are also in seventh place for intensive runs (14,477). Only the teams: Köln, Elversberg, Hertha BSC, Schalke 04, Magdeburg and SC Paderborn are in a better position in comparison. In addition, the Braunschweig team ran a good 5.5 kilometers more on the last matchday with almost 124 total kilometers than any other second division team last weekend.
First the substitution in the DFB Cup for VfB Stuttgart, then the European Cup debut and last but not least the Bundesliga debut against FC Bayern Munich. This is exactly how the professional career of Ermin Bičakčić began, who fled the Bosnian War at the age of two and came to Germany. Football made life in the new country easier for the Bosnians. “It wasn’t easy to build a new life under these circumstances.” I also had to integrate. And the best way I could do that was through football, especially since I was really good at a young age. “That’s how I got the attention of the other children,” he once said in a Spox interview.
His footballing talent helped him take the path that the central defender still follows today. In 2005, Bičakčić moved from a small club in the country to the youth team of VfB Stuttgart, where he eventually played his way up to the men’s team. The now 35-year-old experienced his career upswing later in the 2011/12 season at Eintracht Braunschweig. With Eintracht he made it to the 1st Bundesliga as an absolutely seeded player before he moved back to Baden-Württemberg to TSG Hoffenheim for nine years.
Last season he returned to Lower Saxony to Eintracht, where he is now the absolute leading player. “Eintracht Braunschweig is a matter close to my heart – the city, the club and the fans have always had a special meaning for me. I feel fit and feel the fire in me,” said Bičakčić after signing in 2023.
From war refugee to football to leader of a team: An impressive story that football wrote in the Bičakčić case.
SV Darmstadt 98 invites all its members to come to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on November 1st, 2026, starting at 11:30am. Together, we aim to once again create the largest team photo in our club’s history—with the professional players in the front and the entire Lilies family behind them.
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
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.