Photo gallery: SV Darmstadt 98 loses 0-4 to Karlsruher SC and remains without a point away from home
SV Darmstadt 98 experienced a bitter afternoon at Karlsruher SC. The Lilies suffered a 0-4 (0-2) defeat against the Baden side and are still waiting for their first away point of the season. After two consecutive home wins, they suffered another heavy setback away from home. Darmstadt looked vulnerable defensively, largely unimaginative in attack, and were clearly outmatched for large parts of the game.
The game had practically swung in favor of the hosts after just a quarter of an hour. Fukuda put KSC ahead in the sixth minute, and only seven minutes later Wanitzek made it 2-0. Darmstadt struggled to find an answer to Karlsruhe's attack and, even after the early double blow, failed to stabilize their play. Their own attacks were rare and mostly posed no real threat to the opposition's goal.
Anyone hoping for a reaction from Florian Kohfeldt's team after the break was disappointed. The hosts once again got off to a better start. Kobald increased the lead to 3-0 in the 50th minute, effectively deciding the match early on. While almost everything seemed to go right for Karlsruhe that afternoon, Darmstadt continued to lack ideas, precision, and penetration in attack. In the 65th minute, Wiethaup scored the final goal, making it 4-0, with the help of the inside of the post.
What was particularly sobering was not just the margin of defeat, but the manner in which it came about. Darmstadt's defense repeatedly looked shaky, while their offense barely managed to put the hosts under any serious pressure. Even in the second half, there was hardly any sign of a fightback against the impending defeat.
This highlights once again Darmstadt's major problem this season: recent successful home performances are regularly followed by disappointing away results. Such performances will make it difficult for them to maintain a presence in the 2. Bundesliga. Coach Florian Kohfeldt and his team urgently need to find more stability and consistency.
There isn't much time left. This coming Friday, another tough opponent awaits at the Böllenfalltor stadium in the form of FC St. Pauli. Darmstadt will need to show a completely different side of themselves if they want to collect more points.
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(RED/SV98/as)
