Friendlies Clubs· Season 2026
SV Darmstadt 98 beat FC Astoria Walldorf 4-1 in a pre-season friendly. Matej Maglica scored twice after the break as Florian Kohfeldt's side made it four wins from four in pre-season.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow it unfolded
Darmstadt started slowly. Walldorf, the fourth-tier hosts, enjoyed a higher share of possession in the opening 20 minutes. The Lilien gradually took control but struggled to carve out clear chances in the first hour.
Theodoros Politakis tested the Walldorf defence in the 42nd minute and Fynn Lakenmacher had an effort on 56 minutes, but the best chance of the first half fell to Lars Kehl, who was denied by Astoria goalkeeper Mario Schragl after 58 minutes.
Florian Kohfeldt made seven substitutions on the hour mark, and the changes had an immediate effect. In the 66th minute, Ibrahim El Kadiri slipped a pass through to U21 talent Tom Steineck, who finished calmly from 16 metres to make it 1-0.
Manolo Merx went close soon after but was thwarted by a sharp reaction save from Walldorf substitute keeper Michael Witte. Darmstadt did not have to wait long for the second. In the 76th minute, El Kadiri again turned provider, delivering a perfect cross that Maglica powered home.
Darmstadt continued to dominate the third quarter. El Kadiri almost scored himself in the 96th minute but fired narrowly wide. Maglica was more clinical in the 104th minute, converting an indirect free-kick to make it 3-0.
Walldorf hit back almost immediately. Samuel Wetter pulled one back in the 106th minute to make it 3-1. But Darmstadt had the final word: deep into the fourth quarter, Matthias Bader set up teenage striker Mika Schlosser, who applied the finish to restore the three-goal cushion.
The turning point
Kohfeldt's septuple substitution after 60 minutes changed the complexion of the game entirely. Until that point, Darmstadt had controlled possession without creating clear openings. The fresh legs of El Kadiri, Maglica and Steineck injected pace and incision into the final third, producing three goals inside the next 44 minutes.
Key performers
Matej Maglica (POTM): The centre-back scored twice in the second half — a close-range finish from a cross and a well-taken indirect free-kick. His timing from set-pieces gave Walldorf's defence problems they could not solve.
Ibrahim El Kadiri: The architect of Darmstadt's first two goals. He set up Steineck with a clever through-ball and then delivered the cross for Maglica's first. His movement off the bench unlocked the game.
Tom Steineck (U21): The youngster scored the opening goal with a composed finish from 16 metres and showed maturity beyond his years in the final third.
Samuel Wetter (Walldorf): The Astoria forward scored a well-taken consolation goal in the 106th minute and gave Darmstadt's backline a few anxious moments in the final quarter.
By the numbers — interpreted
The first hour produced a goalless stalemate despite Darmstadt's growing territorial control, reflecting the challenge of breaking down a deep-lying Regionalliga defence. Darmstadt's shot conversion improved markedly after the substitutions: three of the four goals came within 40 minutes of the changes. The two quick goals conceded around the 104–106 minute mark — one for, one against — show the game opened up significantly as legs tired in the fourth quarter.
What it means
Darmstadt have now won all four of their pre-season friendlies, scoring 29 goals in the process (12-0 vs Arheilgen, 8-0 vs Fehlheim, 5-1 vs Homburg, 4-1 vs Walldorf). The Lilien head to a training camp in Bad Wörishofen on 19 July 2026, where they face Sonnenhof Großaspach on 25 July. Their season opener is the 2. Bundesliga fixture at home to Holstein Kiel on 8 August 2026, followed by a DFB-Pokal first-round tie at Carl Zeiss Jena on 23 August.
For FC Astoria Walldorf, the pre-season continues ahead of the 2026–27 Regionalliga Südwest campaign.
Verdict
A routine win for the Zweitliga side once Kohfeldt introduced his stronger options. Walldorf were organised and disciplined for 60 minutes, but the gulf in class became inevitable after the mass substitution. Maglica's double from defensive set-piece situations is a promising sign for Darmstadt's attacking threat from dead-ball situations in the coming season.
Rivalry since 2016
FC Astoria Walldorf vs SV Darmstadt 98 Head to Head Results· 1
FC Astoria Walldorf and SV Darmstadt 98 have met 1 times — FC Astoria Walldorf won 1, SV Darmstadt 98 won 0, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2016. FC Astoria Walldorf leads the head-to-head with 1 victory from 1 meeting. A combined 1 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 1.00 per match (1 for the home side, 0 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 0 matches (0%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 0 games (0%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. The highest-scoring encounter finished 1–0 in 2016.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 17 Jul 2026