The game of patience in analysis

The goal conceded to make it 1:1. Way too early, way too fast. “That was the crux of the matter,” Marcel Schuhen complained about SSV Ulm’s prompt response after the Lilies’ opening goal. Fraser Hornby had previously given SV Darmstadt 98 a 1-0 lead after 16 minutes with a well-placed right-foot shot and at the same time ensured that the defensive barrier of the second-best away defense in the 2nd Bundesliga was successfully broken. But the Ulm team only needed a few blinks of an eye to equalise the Darmstadt goal. SV 98’s lead lasted just two minutes. “That was one of the very few tactical mistakes, but it cost us the victory today,” said Florian Kohfeldt angrily, probably sharing the opinion of all Lilien fans.

A controversial non-whistle. It may not have been the decisive scene of the game. This took place much more – as described above – in the 18th minute, especially since the Lilies should have made even more profit from their dominant style of play. And yet a penalty whistle in the 71st minute would have significantly increased the chances of another home win. “I was sure there would be a penalty,” said Clemens Riedel. But this didn’t happen. And that despite the fact that the ball – from a short distance – struck the hand of an Ulm player in the penalty area and thus interrupted his trajectory towards the guests‘ goal. Schuhen: “The ball would have hit the goal, for me the situation was comparable to the scene from the Germany game against Spain. For me it’s a clear penalty and therefore a wrong decision.”

Remained stable. The 90 minutes in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor? An example of a game of patience. While SSV Ulm defended deep in their own half and waited for transitions and counterattack opportunities, SV Darmstadt 98 had the ball in their own ranks for long stretches with almost 70 percent of possession. And that was exactly the crux of this game: constantly creating opportunities, but remaining patient and, above all, not allowing anything at the back. “A few weeks ago we might have lost a game like this,” said Schuhen, also keeping an eye on SV 98’s overall development. Because the Lilies showed themselves to be extremely stable against SSV Ulm and defended very maturely in defense. Even the 1-1 goal didn’t unsettle the men from Böllenfalltor, rather they showed a very mature reaction to it. “A few weeks ago we would not have been able to consciously maintain control under any circumstances,” Kohfeldt also praised the noticeable development of his team.

The renewed interaction between fans and team. Something that has been cemented ever since the away appearance in Karlsruhe and the convincing home win against Köln in a special Bölle atmosphere. This is also a reason why SV Darmstadt 98 has been unbeaten for three league games in a row. The duel against the second division newcomer from Ulm was a complicated game, and not just for the blue and white protagonists on the pitch. The Darmstadt masses in the stands also had to remain patient while SV 98 tried to find the hardly any space available against a compact opponent. And yet, at least at times, they once again turned the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor into a “cauldron,” as even Ulm coach Thomas Wörle said. The Lilies fans from all corners of the stadium repeatedly pushed their team forward. “Everyone was there until the last seconds and everyone was behind us,” praised Kohfeldt and added, confident of victory: “I am sure that we will pull such games together in our direction in the future.”

Precision and speed. The Lilies wanted to start the English week with a win. A plan that could be seen in their dominant style of play. But SV 98 lacked the necessary offensive power. In addition, there were always unclean actions to pose even more problems for Ulm’s defensive bulwark. “We managed to play patiently and sometimes quickly with a good structure – unfortunately not often enough to create more scoring chances,” complained the Darmstadt head coach. The smaller the rooms became, the more the South Hesse team had to keep up the pressure. A point that requires further development and training work. There should have been more automatism here to allow the ball to run through your own ranks with few contacts and thus open up dangerous spaces. But the truth is that SSV Ulm simply did an outstanding job. Schuhen described the visitors’ defensive work as “incredibly good”. The newcomer never lost the organisation. No way for the blue and whites to get away with it.