“Suck it up, men! “Suck it up!” Marcel Schuhen shouted at his teammates after the final whistle. There they were, lined up in front of the guest block, raising their arms together with over 2,000 Lilien fans who had traveled with them. “Suck it up!” What he meant by that: Channel those emotions after the final whistle. The feeling of victory. Take the joy of one of the most spectacular away three points and the boost of this incredible comeback with you into the new working week.
After 38 minutes, it certainly didn’t look like the Lilies could have celebrated anything after the final whistle. Ron Schallenberg had just scored Schalke’s third goal. “Of course, after the third goal, you briefly think that everything is going in the wrong direction,” Marcel Schuhen admitted honestly. Florian Kohfeldt also assessed the situation in a similar way after this significant deficit: “Normally you can’t come back after a first half like that. Normally you can’t win a game like that after 3-0.”
You should never give up believing something!
But: “We did it today,” said the SV 98 head coach happily. Because the Lilies showed an outstanding mentality and incredible morale. Because despite these blows in the neck, they became more and more courageous in the first half of the game and got back into the game thanks to Fraser Hornby’s penalty. The number 9 of the SVD? A good example of courage anyway: He played a crucial bad pass before the score was 0-1, but then he grabbed the ball in front of Schalke’s north curve and converted confidently and ice-coldly from the spot. A hit that made people believe. “You should never give up believing in something. It suits us very well today,” summarised Schuhen in his statement after the final whistle. The story of the game: 0:3 became 5:3 – thanks to goals from Hornby, a hat-trick from Isac Lidberg and the final goal from Sergio Lopez. A spectacular and celebrated away win for the Lilies that “feels incredibly good,” as Lidberg made clear.
…that the Lilies didn’t show what they had planned in the first half, especially defensively. In addition, FC Schalke 04 could have put the lid on the game with two top-class chances after the restart, which Schuhen was able to prevent with two strong saves. “Especially against the ball, what we played before the break doesn’t work at all,” said Kohfeldt angrily. At halftime, the head coach, who had only been in office for a good two weeks, made crucial changes. “He made a very small change during the break, but it was huge,” revealed Schuhen and added: “We had incredible power on the pitch after the break, everyone wanted to have the ball. A special body language has emerged. That was exceptionally good.” In any case, Kohfeldt works every day to instill his game idea in the team, which they are now getting better at implementing. Of course, experiences of success help. “You believe in ideas when they are successful,” says Schuhen. And the head coach’s ideas were successful on Friday evening.
The first win in the league, a very special one at that. How much confidence and boost can these three points give the team? Florian Kohfeldt was asked this at the press conference in the catacombs of the Veltins Arena. “Of course, this game can certainly give us a big boost,” emphasised the head coach of SV 98, but at the same time made it clear: “But we can’t rely on it.” After all, it was only one game, and in the end only the first three points for the current season.
There is still a lot of work ahead of the Darmstadt team, who will host 1. FC Magdeburg in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor next Saturday afternoon (September 28th/1pm). “We need to use the boost sooner to continue working on our content,” said Kohfeldt, who specifically meant football-tactical as well as mental and athletic content. Only in the Magdeburg game will we see how much of Schalke’s emotions the team absorbed and channeled, and how much they were able to use the boost from Gelsenkirchen to work on their content in training.
The second consecutive away game, and the last of the season, is upon us. Once again on a Sunday (May 10th, 1:30pm), Darmstadt will be playing away – this time against SC Preußen Münster. Everything you need to know for your final away trip of the season to the LVM-Preußenstadion, about three and a half hours away, can be found here in the usual fan information section.
There's a lot going on at the Bölle. The 98th Darmstadt baby of 2026, along with their family, visited the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, and they weren't the only ones. Where else the Bölle gang has ended up, and many more news items about the club, can be found here in our "Lilies Across the Board" section, as every Wednesday.
SV Darmstadt 98 informed all season ticket holders about the season ticket procedure for the 2026/27 season on Wednesday (May 6th) and would also like to share this letter on the club's own website.
Autographs, photos, and personal encounters with the Lilies: You'll have the opportunity to do so on Thursday (May 7th) from 5pm to 6pm. As part of an autograph session presented by Merck, Patric Pfeiffer, Kai Klefisch, and Fynn Lakenmacher will be at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor. You'll also receive a ten percent discount in the fan shop during this time.
Darmstadt's 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC also ended any remaining theoretical hopes the South Hessian club had of finishing the season in the top three. The loss at the Wildpark stadium served somewhat as a symbol for the past few weeks, during which SV 98 had only managed one point from five matches since the international break in March. Following the game on Sunday afternoon, the Darmstadt players addressed the assembled media representatives with mixed feelings.
Three points! SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team secured a victory in the Lotto Hessenliga on Saturday afternoon (May 2nd). In their match against Hünfelder SV, the young Lilies overcame an early deficit to clinch a convincing 3-1 win. This result puts the U21 team currently outside the relegation zone. "Our trend is clearly upward," said a delighted U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt.
The successful collaboration between the Hessian Disabled and Rehabilitation Sports Association (HBRS) and SV Darmstadt 98 will continue long-term: Both partners have extended their existing agreement to promote inclusive sports indefinitely. This sends a clear signal for the sustainable development of inclusion and disability sports in Hesse.
A bitter end in Karlsruhe: After 90 entertaining minutes in which both teams sought salvation in attack, Darmstadt suffered a narrow defeat. The final score was 2-1 after a late goal from the home side, following Isac Lidberg's earlier equaliser. After the match, the players were particularly frustrated with the missed opportunities in the first half.
The away form continues to be poor: SV 98 suffered a 2-1 (0-0) defeat against Karlsruher SC. Lidberg scored the equaliser for the team from southern Hesse in the 70th minute.
Darmstadt 98 visit Karlsruher SC on matchday 32 (May 3rd, 1:30 PM). Florian Kohfeldt has made five changes to his starting lineup. Killian Corredor replaces the injured Fraser Hornby, Aleksandar Vukotic comes in for the suspended Patric Pfeiffer, and Fabian Holland starts in place of Matej Maglica, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Merveille Papela and Niklas Schmidt also join the team, replacing Sergio Lopez and Yosuke Furukawa. In addition to Hornby, Pfeiffer, and Maglica, Darmstadt will also be without the injured Matthias Bader, Fabian Nürnberger, and Luca Marseiler.
Finally, the weekend is here, finally Sunday! On Sunday afternoon (May 3rd, 1:30pm), SV Darmstadt 98 will face Karlsruher SC away. What do the two coaches have to say about the match, who will be refereeing, and where can you watch it if you're not at the stadium? All the important information about the Lilies' 32nd matchday is compiled for you here in "Matchday Guide".
Continuity in sporting management: SV Darmstadt 98 has extended Paul Fernie's contract early and for the long term. As part of the contract extension, the current sporting director will move into the club's management board and will now serve as managing director of sport.
