Crucial first win
SV Elversberg have won their first game of the season in impressive style with a 4:0 victory over relegated Bundesliga team Darmstadt 98. The win was overshadowed by a severe injury suffered by Florian Le Joncour.
On Saturday, SV Elversberg celebrated an impressive 4:0 win over relegated Bundesliga team SV Darmstadt 98. In a passionate game, the Saarland team not only swept along the nearly 9,500 fans in the URSAPHARM-Arena, but also set a clear signal for this year’s 2. Bundesliga. However, this first win of the season was overshadowed by a serious injury: centre back Florian Le Joncour suffered a major injury to his elbow. Despite the severity of the injury, there is some reassuring news: according to the club, Le Joncour is doing well considering the circumstances, and the French player has already sent his best wishes to his teammates.
The match was a real spectacle right from the outset. Elversberg had apparently been perfectly prepared for their opponents by their coach Horst Steffen and dominated play from the very first minute. Luca Schnellbacher put the home team in the lead just five minutes in. After a precise cross from the right hand side by Manuel Feil, Schnellbacher headed the ball into the second post in the opposite direction to Darmstadt’s goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen. ‘Everything fell into place with that goal, it was a little bit of a liberation’, Feil noted about the early goal that put them in the lead. However, Feil also clarified: ‘But you have to say that Darmstadt made it easy for us today.’
The visiting team from Darmstadt failed to gain a foothold in the game at any point and appeared overextended essentially throughout. Their defence in particular lacked the necessary bite, continually giving Elversberg space to launch dangerous attacks. In the 19th minute, it was Fisnik Asllani who scored again for the home team. After a clever pass to the front, Asllani broke through and took the score to 2:0. Elversberg could have established an even bigger lead by half time, but the scoreline remained with them two goals ahead.
Darmstadt’s coach Torsten Lieberknecht was visibly frustrated after his team’s weak performance in the first half. He was apparently heard shouting in the dressing room. ‘We didn’t deliver at all today. The insults are warranted: chicken poo, an admission of failure, passionless play. We were not ready for this game at all’, Lieberknecht said in irritation after the game, not sparing his team any criticism.
The second half was no better for the visiting team, but brought another highlight for Elversberg. Fisnik Asllani demonstrated his class once again in the 59th minute. He received the ball some 18 metres from the Darmstadt goal and showcased his skill: with a clever feint, he moved the ball to his left foot and coolly shot it into the net to make things 3:0. ‘How Darmstadt played is actually irrelevant to me. We were simply better today, and achieved what we wanted on the pitch’, Asllani confidently said after the match. The 22 year old, who is on loan from Bundesliga team TSG Hoffenheim, has already scored his fourth goal in four games and is increasingly becoming Elversberg’s key player.
As well as Asllani, some of the Elversberg team’s other new additions also shone. 18-year-old Elias Baum, who blundered in the previous match against Karlsruhe, was on top form this time and put in a flawless performance. Muhammed Damar also impressed on the left wing and kept the game moving. He just missed bringing the scoreline to 4:0 with a free kick. ‘We new arrivals are becoming more and more a part of the team with each training session. That was clear today’, Damar happily explained.
We new arrivals are becoming more and more a part of the team with each training session. That was clear today
Muhammed Damar
The crowning glory came from new addition Filimon Gerezgiher in the 90th minute. After an excellent pass from Semih Sahin, he finished the attack to put the final score at 4:0. This was the first 2. Bundesliga goal for the 24 year old, who had previously only played in the Regionaliga. Full of emotion, he dedicated the goal to his mother: ‘This goal goes out to my mum, who has always believed in me and supported me’, Gerezgiher said.
Coach Horst Steffen appeared satisfied with his team’s performance after the game and particularly highlighted their team spirit: ‘Filimon played fantastically in preparations and was also strong against Köln. After that, he sat on the bench and was also man of the match in the cup. Then he went back to the bench, and now he’s scored his goal. On every match day, we set the team up so that we can win. Everyone has to understand that.’ Steffen made it clear that performance is rewarded in his team, and that every player is given an opportunity to prove themselves.
After Le Joncour’s injury, Trainer Steffen was forced to change things around, and brought Carlo Sickinger and Maximilian Rohr into the defence. In two weeks’ time, one of the pair will feature in the central defence alongside Elversberg’s current best defender Lukas Pinckert in an away game against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Thanks to the international cap break, the squad now have two weeks to consolidate their team play. On Friday 6 September, they also have another test match against third-division team SV Wehen Wiesbaden, which could provide further insight into the team’s form.
This impressive win over Darmstadt shows that SV Elversberg have made their mark on the 2. Bundesliga and do not need to hide themselves away. The new additions are coming into their own and demonstrating their skill. The team have proven that they are able to play dominant, successful football even against notable opponents – just as they did last year.