The SV Darmstadt 98 U21 team suffered an unlucky 4-3 defeat in a highly intense and emotional South Hesse derby against SV Rot-Weiß Walldorf. In a fast-paced, hard-fought, and exciting match, the "Young Lilies" conceded the decisive goal in the 89th minute – a bitter end to a spirited performance.
The match started disjointedly, and Darmstadt fell behind in the 17th minute. However, after conceding the early goal, the Lilies gradually found their rhythm. Bastian Görtler headed in a precise free-kick cross to equalise at 1-1, ten minutes before the interval. Just three minutes later, the game became chaotic: Mika Schlosser was fouled in the penalty area by Jakob Voett – the referee awarded a penalty. Despite the hosts‘ vociferous protests, Smail Kadrijaj kept his composure and confidently converted to give Darmstadt a 2-1 lead in the 38th minute.
After the break, an open, back-and-forth affair ensued. Now it was the hosts who fought their way back into the game. Following a corner, Walldorf equalised through Redl to make it 2-2 (57′). Goals followed in quick succession: A free kick from Doganay initially put RW in the lead (63′), but the young Lilies once again demonstrated their resilience: After a swift counter-attack, substitute Milian Herbst slotted the ball home to level the score at 3-3 (65′).
In the closing stages, coach Daniel Petrowsky’s team withstood the increasingly dominant Walldorf attack. It seemed as though Darmstadt would be rewarded with a point for their spirited performance. However, shortly before the end of regulation time, Enders scored the winning goal for Walldorf from close range, making it 4-3 (89′).
Petrowsky was understandably disappointed after the game: „It’s really bitter to concede the 4-3 goal in the 89th minute and then go home with nothing.“
Despite the defeat, the U21 team put up a good fight in the South Hesse derby and are now focusing on their next away game. In their next match, the 12th-placed SVD will face league leaders Eintracht Frankfurt. Kick-off is at 2pm on the grass pitch at Am Bürgeracker 24, 63303 Dreieich.
As a young team, we lack those few percent in crucial situations, and we need to learn from these situations.
Line-Up: Börner, Kunstmann (Maier, 47), Görtler, Karakaya, Alagi (Jaadar, 67′), Ballmert, Klappich, Rebner, Zaatan (Herbst, 64′), Schlosser (Mignano, 82′), Kadrijaj
The Bundesliga finalised the match schedules for matchdays three through six on Wednesday (July 15th): Darmstadt's home game against Hannover 96 on matchday three will take place on Sunday. This will be followed by their away game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday at 1pm. The home game against Arminia Bielefeld on Friday evening and the away game in Wolfsburg, also on Friday evening, have also been confirmed.
The Lilies can welcome another new arrival at the Böllenfalltor: Florian Kleinhansl will now wear the SV 98 jersey. The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with 1. FC Kaiserslautern on June 30th.
Third test, third clear victory. SV 98 won the match against FC 08 Homburg 5-1 (3-0).
SV Darmstadt 98 and the fusion energy company Focused Energy are entering into an official partnership. The aim of the collaboration is to more closely link top-level football and high technology from the Darmstadt region and to jointly generate momentum for innovation and future societal issues.
Killian Corredor will be playing in his home country again in the future. SV 98 has reached an agreement with FC Nantes on the transfer of the Frenchman.
On Tuesday (July 14, 6pm), SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Regionalliga side FC Homburg and asks fans to take note of the following information.
A home game against KSV! SV Darmstadt 98 hosts Holstein Kiel for the opening matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season this Saturday (August 8 at 1pm). Here’s how you can be there: the member pre-sale for the new season's first home game begins this coming Wednesday (July 15) at 12pm —available online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion, as usual. You can find all further details in this announcement.
For every home goal scored by the "Lilies," SV Darmstadt 98 fans were doubly rewarded during the recent 2025/26 second-division season. Beyond the joy and excitement, supporters received 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every goal Darmstadt scored at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
In recent days, various media outlets have published reports and graphics regarding the distribution of TV revenue for the 2026/27 season. Some of these reports included not only specific figures but also a comparison to the previous season. This comparison indicates a supposed revenue increase of €1.4 million for SV 98 compared to the 2025/26 season.
SV Darmstadt 98 successfully completed their second pre-season friendly, defeating Verbandsliga side VfR Fehlheim 8-0 (4-0).
