21.04.2024 / English
“Wear the lily on your chest with pride!”
Arm in arm, very close to each other. The left arm wrapped around the left, the right arm wrapped around the right next man. The heads are close together. The eleven lilies are in the team circle and they will play together in the Bundesliga game against 1. FC Köln from 3:30pm. Tobias Kempe speaks in the circle and looks deeply into his teammates' eyes. “Wear the lily on your chest with pride!” he says.
When Tobias Kempe reported this scene after the final whistle, there was a great deal of relief in his voice. SV Darmstadt 98 won. Finally. After 22 games without a win, the Lilies picked up three points again against 1. FC Köln. A long time without such a sense of success. The 2-0? “It feels brutally good,” said Kempe. “A great feeling,” said Christoph Klarer elsewhere in the mixed zone. “We’re just happy,” Torsten Lieberknecht revealed at the press conference, where this time he didn’t have to congratulate the opposing club on their victory first.
Images that the entire sports club and its supporters had longed for for so long were also taken on the square in front of the curve. “I am very pleased that we have once again given the city of Darmstadt and our fans a Bundesliga victory,” said the head coach. The impressions of the full, blue and white guest block were still in the minds of not only Lieberknecht, but also all Darmstadt protagonists who stepped in front of the microphones after the 2-0 win. “Winning in this stadium in front of so many Darmstadt fans who have traveled with us is good for us and the whole club,” said Klarer happily and added enthusiastically: “It’s really cool when you’re standing in front of the curve and the entire guest block is full to the brim with blue and white fans.” It was not a given that 3,500 lilies made their way to Köln. After all, the SV 98 fans have already had to go through so much disappointment this season. But this impressive block of guests once again showed the solidarity that exists in this club.
We will do everything we can to represent the club in the league with decency and honour.
And that despite the sporting situation. SV Darmstadt 98 is still bottom of the table even after beating 1. FC Köln 2-0. With a nine point gap to Mainz, who are in the relegation zone and who can still catch up on Sunday evening (April 21st/7:30 pm) away to SC Freiburg and have a significantly better goal difference, the Darmstadt team needs a really big football miracle. “We will do everything we can to represent the club with decency and honour in the league,” promised Klarer, but at the same time he had to admit: “We still know that we have dropped too many points in the past – especially in the season direct duels. That’s why we are where we are.”
Game on a knife edge
A direct duel was also the one against 1. FC Köln, who were also threatened with relegation. A game on the knife edge. SV 98 had not been able to win games like this so often in the last few weeks and months. But it wasn’t like that in the Rhineland. The Lilies finally showed themselves to be extremely efficient, scoring two goals despite fewer attempts on goal compared to their opponents. There was zero at the back. But more than that. The Darmstadt team showed “simply a good game,” as Kempe attested to his team. “We deserved to win 2-0,” said the number eleven from South Hesse.
“Wear the lily on your chest with pride!”
It was the sentence that Tobias Kempe chose in the team circle before kick-off. A good two hours later, after the final whistle, he stood in the mixed zone of Köln’s RheinEnergie Stadium and remembered his words. Wear the lily on your chest with pride. Kempe: “That’s exactly what everyone did today.”
Fan Information for the Wolfsburg Game
On Saturday afternoon (May 4th/3:30pm) SV Darmstadt 98 VfL Wolfsburg will be guests. You can find all the important information for your visit to the Volkswagen Arena here. For spontaneous Lilien fans: There will be a box office in Wolfsburg.
“End the season professionally”
Press conference in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor. Before SV Darmstadt 98's upcoming away game at VfL Wolfsburg (May 4th/3:30pm), Torsten Lieberknecht took a seat in the PK room. The Lilien head coach answered questions about the rest of the season and the upcoming game. We have summarised the most important statements for you.
Successful Fernie fan evening | „Heads up!“
The new Sports Director is a guest at the Lilienschänke: On Monday (April 29th) the April fan evening of SV Darmstadt 98 took place with Paul Fernie – an entertaining, exciting evening. Meanwhile, the day before, the Lilies received a lot of encouraging messages via social media – including three former Darmstadt professionals. We also report on Asaf Arania's first appointment to the matchday squad and provide you with information about our fan team. You can find out all this in our weekly section “Lilies across the board”.
Open letter from the Presidium
On the occasion of the confirmed relegation of the Lilies, the executive board of SV Darmstadt 98 addressed the public with an open letter.
Opposition Check: VfL Wolfsburg
What has to happen for one of the largest Spanish daily newspapers to print the following sentence? “Wolfsburg in the style of Real Madrid!” That was the headline in the newspaper “El Mundo” during the 2014/15 season. VfL had just spectacularly defeated FC Bayern Munich 4-1. “Suddenly Wolfsburg appeared and messed up Bayern’s film,” the Spanish reporters continued in their text. The Lower Saxony team were currently Bayern's number one hunters – well on the way to perhaps even becoming FCB's worst competitor?
When the day comes
“If you know that this day is coming, you can prepare for it to some extent,” said Torsten Lieberknecht in front of rolling TV cameras. At this point late on Sunday evening, there was already certainty in the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor, which was filled with dejected people, hanging heads and sad faces. The 0-1 defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim sealed SV Darmstadt 98's relegation from the 1st Bundesliga. “But when that day comes, everything you thought about beforehand is gone,” continued the Lilien head coach: “Because it’s just a rubbish moment.”
“It’s a rubbish feeling”
The result this Sunday means that SV Darmstadt 98's Bundesliga journey is coming to an end. In the coming season, the Lilies will compete in the second Bundesliga. We have summarised here what the Darmstadt protagonists said in front of the microphones after the 0-1 defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim.
Relegation Confirmed
The Lilies lose their home game, so it's clear: SV 98 will play in the 2. Bundesliga again next season. The match against 1. FC Heidenheim ended 0-1 (0-0).
Four Changes in the Starting XI
Torsten Lieberknecht has to change his starting lineup to four positions compared to the away win at 1. FC Köln. In addition to Aaron Seydel, Clemens Riedel and Klaus Gjasula, Matthias Bader is also out for the duel with 1. FC Heidenheim with a broken nose. Luca Pfeiffer, Christoph Zimmermann, Jannik Müller and Emir Karic move into the starting line-up to replace the injured quartet. Asaf Arania from the U19 is in the Lilies' competitive squad for the first time.
Matchday Compact: All Information for the Heidenheim game
After the away win in Köln now comes our home game with Heidenheim. On Sunday evening (April 28th/7:30pm) the SVD finally wants to win again in front of their own crowd. It is clear that this will not be an easy task against 1. FC Heidenheim, but Torsten Lieberknecht's team still wants to give the lily fans their second win in a row. Before the Bölle gets down to business, we will provide you with all the information about the duel between the Lilies and the guests from Heidenheim.
Figures & facts: The top facts about the Heidenheim game
Next Sunday (April 28th/7:30pm) SV Darmstadt 98 will face fellow promoted team 1. FC Heidenheim. After Torsten Lieberknecht's team finally celebrated another victory in the Rhineland last week, they should also be able to do it at home this week. With a win of their own and some help, the Heidenheimers could stay in the league three match days before the end. But before the Lilies meet Frank Schmidt and “his” Heidenheimers, you will find all the important facts about the game here. What gives hope for the second win in a row? What are the strengths of the people of Baden-Württemberg? And which lily became a professional in Heidenheim? You can find out in our top facts about the game.
“I still look forward to every matchday”
About the success in Köln, the upcoming duel with 1. FC Heidenheim (April 28th/7:30pm) and the staff: Torsten Lieberknecht answered questions about these and other topics at the press conference on Friday (April 26th). We have put together the most important statements from the head coach for you.