It was one of those moments that can literally make things explode. After an hour, Fraser Hornby moved decisively into the penalty area and confidently nailed his shot under the crossbar. 2-0, a blue and white crowd of cheers in front of the south stand, ecstasy in the stands. But less than two minutes later, the disillusionment came: after the video assistant intervened, Hornby's goal was taken back, the score was turned back to 1-0 and something happened to the SV 98 team that ultimately led to the guests from Braunschweig taking a point from the game.
"Football is not just tactics and not just individual quality. Football is also: How do I deal with special moments?"
„We said to the team beforehand: if something goes against us, like when we were denied 2-0, let’s continue to do what we discussed before. But I think they still flinched a little and then certain things no longer work. There was a moment where we were no longer able to take control,“ explained Florian Kohfeldt later when asked about the reasons for his team’s certain passivity during the second half.
It is entirely understandable that the Lilies are currently not a team that can overcome any resistance or let any circumstances throw them off course. Of the past 32 league games across the seasons, SV 98 was only able to win one game. „After the goal was taken back, you already noticed what had happened to the team in the last few months,“ analysed the new head coach and goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen, summing up: „With the lead behind us, the football plan was no longer the same after the break because we wanted to defend the result, of course. That’s also a mental issue, how you deal with something like that. In our situation, it changed something for one or the other, we wanted to play a little more safely and fell deeper.“
These insights from the game led Kohfeldt to make a general classification: „Football is not just tactics and not just individual quality. Football is also: How do I deal with special moments?“ After his debut, the 41-year-old also openly answered the question as to whether the area between the shoulders was currently a particularly important construction site for the Darmstadt team: „Of course we also have to influence the heads. This means trust in yourself and in the idea of the game are completely there and there will always be moments in which a game can tip over. It’s important that we don’t tip over as a team.“
And yet, despite the late equaliser, there were many positive things that SV 98 can take away from the home game. Detached from the moments that SV 98 is currently not meeting with the stability it had hoped for, the process that had been initiated under Kohfeldt was already clearly visible. Especially in the first half. “You could see a lot of our basic ideas,” said Kohfeldt, who emphasised “determination,” “paced actions” and a “stable basic structure.” Kohfeldt had already changed the basic formation, the Lilies acted in a chain of four and largely took control of the game in the first section.
Kohfeldt noted that “a lot of the content that we discussed and trained was already there.” The coach’s feeling when looking at the pitch was also shared by the protagonists on the pitch, as Schuhen said: “We’ve already implemented some of the coach’s plans as well. That shows that we feel this plan. If you can say something like that after seven days, that’s a good sign.“
For both the goalkeeper and the coach, it is now a matter of becoming more and more “automatic” in order to further strengthen the development that has been initiated and thus make the team more stable. “It’s a process,” summarised Schuhen, who also pointed out once again that the team had only been on the pitch together with Kohfeldt for the first time last Monday. „It’s not that easy to internalise a lot of things within a week of training. We’ve done quite well for that.“
Now a short week awaits the South Hesse team, who will be playing at FC Schalke 04 next Friday. A highlight that the Lilies and especially the head coach look forward to with positive thoughts: „We are continuing on the path and I am sure that we will have already taken another step at Schalke.“
The Lilies are still at the beginning of the process under Kohfeldt. But it seems as if this could progress quickly.
After 13 unbeaten second-division matches, SV Darmstadt 98 suffered their first defeat this Friday evening. Three unfortunate minutes just before halftime, during which Patric Pfeiffer was sent off and Vincent Vermeij scored twice, paved the way for Dresden's victory. After the match, the focus was primarily on the differing assessments of two very similar incidents by the refereeing team – incidents which both coaches subsequently evaluated identically.
For the first time since October, Darmstadt 98 finished a league match without any points: SV 98 lost 3-1 (2-0) to SG Dynamo Dresden. After a controversial red card against Patric Pfeiffer (42nd minute), the home side scored two goals in first-half stoppage time to secure the victory.
Under the floodlights at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadium. On Friday evening (February 27th/6:30pm), Darmstadt 98 will play away against Dynamo Dresden. Florian Kohfeldt has made three changes to his starting eleven. Raoul Petretta makes his first start, replacing Fabian Holland. Luca Marseiler starts in place of the suspended Marco Richter, and Hiroki Akiyama replaces Fraser Hornby, who is sidelined with a thigh injury. Fabian Nürnberger, Matthias Bader, and Bartosz Bialek remain unavailable due to injury.
A floodlit match at the Rudolf-Haribig-Stadion is always something special. Darmstadt 98 are aiming to take three points back to southern Hesse this Friday evening (February 27th). Kick-off is at 6:30pm. All the important information about the 24th matchday of the 2. Bundesliga is clearly summarised for you in our "Matchday Guide".
Darmstadt 98 aim to extend their unbeaten run to 14 games in Friday evening's match against Dynamo Dresden. While Darmstadt's potent attack has resulted in a respectable goal tally, they are wary at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. The Saxons have been on an upward trend since the winter break and will have a vociferous home crowd behind them. We've compiled all the facts and figures surrounding this clash in this report. Here you'll find the key facts for tomorrow's match.
Darmstadt and Dresden are 598 kilometres apart. On Friday evening (February 27th, 6:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will travel to the Saxon capital for the 24th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. The next away game will take place under the floodlights at the historic Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. You can find all relevant fan information here.
Before SV Darmstadt 98 plays under floodlights in Dresden on Friday evening (27.02/18.30), Florian Kohfeldt spoke at the press conference about the strengths of Dynamo Dresden and the special atmosphere in the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion.
Raoul Petretta joined SV Darmstadt 98 in the winter and already feels very much at home. He talks about his arrival and his goals. Besides their sporting focus, the Lilies are also committed to sustainability: On March 15, 2026, over 3,500 trees will be planted as part of the fifth "In the Sign of the Lily" tree-planting campaign. In our "Lilies Across the Board" section, we provide you with the most important news from SV Darmstadt 98 every week.
Numerous Dynamo Dresden fans flock to the stadium on home match days. But one day, they came for a single reason: What should their stadium be called in the future? Tens of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, ready to cast their votes. In cooperation with regional partners, Dynamo Dresden's management took the unusual step of letting the club's supporters decide for themselves.
WirLilien – Together for nature conservation! Together with our partner Krombacher, we will once again plant more than 3,500 trees on Sunday (March 15th) – under the banner of the Lily. You can still register for the event at short notice.
On Friday (February 27th, 7:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team begins the second phase of their Hessenliga season. With 23 points after 20 matchdays, the Lilies are currently in 14th place. Following intensive weeks of winter training, the team aims to start the upcoming challenges with renewed energy and secure crucial points.
A fast-paced, thrilling exchange between SV Darmstadt 98 and Fortuna Düsseldorf reached its ecstatic climax in the 88th minute. Thanks to Matej Maglica's header, Darmstadt secured a 2-1 victory in a wild battle that resembled a 12-round boxing match, with both sides neglecting their defences and constantly searching for the next hook or punch. A day later, sv98.de looks back on what was probably the most exciting home game of the season so far for the South Hessian side.