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.
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.
