Darmstadt 98 is still on course for promotion in the 2nd division. Against Hannover there is a deserved victory in the majority.
Darmstadt (dpa/lhe) - SV Darmstadt 98 has extended its winning streak to 16 competitive games without defeat and remains at the top of the table in the 2nd Bundesliga even after the 15th matchday. The southern Hesse team celebrated a 1-0 (0-0) win against Hannover 96 on Friday evening and initially extended their 32-point lead over Hamburger SV to four points. In front of 15,475 spectators, Marvin Mehlem scored the acclaimed winning goal for Lilien in the 62nd minute.
"It's a lot of fun at the moment. We're playing good football and we're top of the table," said Mehlem. Coach Torsten Lieberknecht was also satisfied. "It was a deserved victory. We were well positioned and had many degrees," summed up the 49-year-old.
Of course, the fact that the guests from Lower Saxony had to play outnumbered from the 30th minute played into the hands of the hosts. Phil Neumann had fended off a shot from Jannik Müller with his hand just before the goal line in the style of a goalkeeper and saw the red card for preventing a clear goal chance according to video evidence. However, Tobias Kempe missed the due penalty, which was denied by Hanover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler.
At the beginning of the game, both teams had delivered an even duel. The first chance for Darmstadt was missed by Oscar Vilhelmsson, who only hit the side netting with his head. On the other side, Havard Nielsen failed after a nice individual performance by Darmstadt goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen. Referee Benjamin Cortus refused to recognize a goal by Kempe from distance because Phillip Tietz was offside.
Even after the change, Darmstadt remained dominant and rewarded themselves for their efforts with the lead by Mehlem, who hit the left corner with a well-placed shot from 24 meters. "I was a little surprised myself at how hard he shot, because the ball slipped a bit over my feet," said the scorer, describing the scene.
After that, Müller missed further top-class opportunities with a flick from the side of the penalty area, which Zieler fended off brilliantly, and Tietz, who shot the ball past Zieler's goal after a mistake by Jannik Dehm, who had just come on as a substitute. So it remained exciting until the end, even if the victory in Darmstadt was no longer in serious danger.
