A thrilling match ends without a winner: Darmstadt and VfL Bochum drew 3-3 (2-2) in a captivating and entertaining game. The mood ranged from frustration at not securing two more points and dissatisfaction with their own shortcomings to a resulting sense of satisfaction with the away point. After the rollercoaster ride in Bochum, the players assessed their start to the second half of the season.
„For a neutral observer, it was a great start to the second half of the season in a very cool atmosphere. Could we win the game today? Yes, absolutely. Could we lose it? Yes, absolutely as well. A draw is therefore a fair result. There were phases where both teams could have taken control of the game. We definitely gifted Bochum their two goals in the first half with individual errors. The second half went more in Bochum’s favour, but we had one outstanding moment from Patric Pfeiffer and Luca Marseiler. Then we conceded the equaliser to make it 3-3 because Bochum pressed forward and created some real pressure. Shortly before the final whistle, both teams had a clear-cut chance with a header. Therefore, overall, a draw is a fair result.“
„I wasn’t quite sure where we stood. I saw 80 percent of what we wanted to do well today. In the first ten or fifteen minutes, we failed to prevent Darmstadt’s crosses and weren’t clinical enough. Darmstadt had some great chances and scored the goal. We were playing against the best team in transition today. That’s a huge challenge. Darmstadt can score at any stage and demanded everything from us. Nevertheless, I thought we were the better team. We managed to create chances and score goals. The third goal we conceded is incredibly frustrating, though. Overall, it was a decent performance from us, which gives me confidence for the upcoming challenges. I’ll take the point today.“
„Overall, we didn’t play well, but we still scored three goals. We have to be satisfied with the point because we didn’t play cleanly. In the first half, we had solutions, especially down the wings, but we didn’t capitalise on them. It was a wild ride: good for the spectators, but not for us, because we want to play differently. But you could also see the energy this stadium can generate. We could have done better today and won the game; the first two goals we conceded were symbolic of that. That’s why we’ll take the point.“
„Looking at how the game unfolded, we’ll take the point today. We had a few chances in the first half, but we practically gifted Bochum their goals. Overall, we didn’t do enough today, especially in the second half where we sat too deep and didn’t win enough challenges. We wanted to show much more with the ball, and we didn’t manage that for long stretches. We simply didn’t have enough possession. And when we did, we made poor decisions and didn’t execute the basics well. We had to sweat it out more than we wanted to today. We knew the atmosphere here in Bochum was great and that VfL Bochum have a strong presence in the penalty area. We conceded too many opportunities to Bochum.“
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).
