Spectacle without goals: The Hertha game in analysis

Scenes from the match: There are two scenes. They showed on Sunday how close happiness and frustration could have been. But first things first.

After a good 83 minutes, the Lilies were awarded a free kick near the opponent’s penalty area: Marseiler passed it to Nürnberger, who skillfully played it onto Klefisch’s head, and then again to Corredor. Finally, the Frenchman headed the ball towards the Hertha goal from four metres out. A sure goal for SV Darmstadt 98? Unfortunately not… Because Tjark Ernst, the capital club’s keeper, pulled off an incredible reflex save, deflecting the ball onto the post. And the cheers that all the Lilies had already been on their lips fell silent.

A few minutes later, every single spectator in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor held their breath – the Hertha fans in anticipation of the supposed lucky punch, and the Darmstadt fans hoping it wouldn’t happen. Deep into stoppage time (90’+8), Fabian Reese – that exceptional player in the 2. Bundesliga – ran unmarked toward Marcel Schuhen’s goal after a counterattack. A sure goal for Hertha BSC? Thankfully not… „Actually, he scores ten out of ten of those shots,“ Marco Richter acknowledged the Hertha player’s qualities. But not on this Böllenfalltor afternoon. Reese missed, and the score remained 0-0.

These two scenes alone (there could have been many more, including numerous hits hitting the post) are proof of the 0-0 draw, as Marcel Schuhen would later describe it. Both teams could have scored their goals and thus brought the game to their advantage. “If it ends 3-3, nobody complains,” said Marco Richter in his statement on the goalless draw against Hertha.

Performance + start to the season. A commanding 4-1 victory against Bundesliga relegated side Bochum. Then a last-minute win at 1. FC Nürnberg. Plus a 0-0 draw against promotion hopefuls Hertha BSC. And in between, advancing in the DFB Cup against VfB Lübeck. That makes a total of four unbeaten matches, including three competitive wins and seven out of a possible nine points in the 2. Bundesliga, as well as two clean sheets. „We’ve got a good points average so far and are one round further in the cup – so we’re all happy,“ said Marcel Schuhen when asked about his team’s start to the season. Despite a difficult opening schedule, the Lilies have made a very good start to the new season. Because SV 98 has consistently delivered so far.

This was also the case against Hertha BSC. „We delivered a good to very good performance,“ praised Florian Kohfeldt at the post-match press conference. His team brought tremendous intensity to the pitch, showing versatility and courage going forward. Everyone in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor sensed that Darmstadt wanted to hold on to the three points in South Hesse. And they did so against a team whose stated goal this season is to challenge for promotion to the upper echelons of German football. The fact that this very promotion favourite from the capital initially dropped back deep on Sunday, prioritising defence and waiting for opportunities to counterattack clearly demonstrated the respect the Lilies have earned through their performances at the start of the season.

System change takes effect. Do you prefer a back three or a back four? We don’t care, could be a flippant reply from the Lilies. Because SV Darmstadt 98 can play both and feels comfortable in both systems. „It’s very good that we can switch so quickly during the game. We worked on that in pre-season and it will probably come into play several times over the course of the season,“ explained Schuhen. Starting with a back four, Darmstadt had problems defensively gaining access to Hertha’s nimble and strong dribbling wingers. With the substitutions of Matej Maglica and Luca Marseiler after just over an hour, the Lilies then switched to a back three. „This allowed our midfielder to defend forward, which made it easier for the sixes,“ analysed the Darmstadt goalkeeper. Kohfeldt also emphasised: „After switching to a three-man defence, we were the better team and more courageous going forward, creating more chances to score.“

No goal of their own. Of course, this fact is the fly in the ointment. The statistics counted a total of 14 shots on goal for the 98ers – including the aforementioned Corredor header, which Ernst parried off the post, but also a powerful Bialek shot and another shot on the post from Vukotic in the first half. If one wants to draw a negative conclusion from the Lilies‘ otherwise convincing performance, it is their utilisation of opportunities. Had they done well, the Lilies would likely have left the pitch as winners. The same can be said, however, from Hertha’s perspective, who, according to the statistics, had even one more shot on goal – including two hits on the woodwork and missed opportunities from free kicks in front of goal. We therefore echo Marco Richter’s quote: „Overall, a fair point split.“

Counter-attack protection. „We’re facing a team where almost any player can decide the game in any situation,“ warned Florian Kohfeldt at the press conference before the duel, referring to the individual quality of their opponents. The Lilies were accordingly warned and, despite all their attacking efforts, didn’t lose their heads, as Schuhen praised. „Apart from the final move with Reese, we remained very stable against a good counter-attacking team,“ said the Darmstadt goalkeeper. But the Reese incident in the eighth minute of stoppage time showed how difficult it is to defend Hertha’s quality over 90 minutes. Especially in this situation, but also in a few previous scenes, the Lilies should have better protected Hertha’s counterattacks and been better positioned in the rest of their defence. These are all points that need to be worked on before the next away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Sunday (August 31st, 1:30pm).