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Darmstadt put in a courageous performance, but ultimately lost after VAR discussions and an unfortunate refereeing decision
A hard-fought match, an early opening goal – and yet no points: SV Darmstadt 98 suffered a 1-2 (1-2) defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Sunday. Despite a spirited performance from the Lilies, who took an early lead and continued to play their part, several controversial decisions by the refereeing team sparked debate – and ultimately led to an unfortunate ending for Darmstadt.
The match at the historic Betzenberg stadium began promisingly for Darmstadt. In the 3rd minute, the Lilies took a 1-0 lead through Luca Marseiler. This followed a determined effort from Fraser Hornby, who intercepted a misplaced pass from Kaiserslautern and passed to Kilian Corredor. Corredor's shot was parried by Kaiserslautern's goalkeeper Krahl, and Marseiler reacted quickly to tap in the rebound.
But the promising start was soon marred by a questionable decision: In the 10th minute, a challenge occurred in Darmstadt's penalty area. Marseiler attempted to clear the ball, but according to the video assistant referees, he made contact with his opponent. After several minutes of review, referee Braun awarded a penalty – Ritter made no mistake and confidently converted to make it 1-1 (15').
Darmstadt then scored again – but once more the goal was disallowed. After a corner, Clemens Riedel delivered a dangerous cross into the box, and Isac Lidberg poked it over the line. But once again, VAR intervened: Hornby was deemed to have been in an active offside position when the goal was scored (32'). A decision that sparked considerable debate – and indeed, did.
The next controversial moment wasn't long in coming. Shortly before halftime, Darmstadt goalkeeper Schuhen launched a long ball forward – but it didn't reach its target. The reason: referee Braun was in the way, blocking Fraser Hornby and unintentionally giving Kaiserslautern possession again. Kaiserslautern ruthlessly exploited the situation and took a 2-1 lead through Ache (45+7).
After the break, the game became noticeably less exciting. Darmstadt tried hard, but rarely threatened the opposition goal. A shot from Lidberg (68th minute) remained their best chance, but it wouldn't have counted anyway due to an offside position. Kaiserslautern now focused on managing their lead – and did so successfully.
In the end, SV 98 suffered a bitter defeat, having set themselves high goals but being hampered by several unfortunate decisions.
(Red/SV98/AS)
Pictures from the game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern:
