SV Elversberg beat the ‘Red Devils’: Damar clinches the derby
SV Elversberg won the derby (which the team from Lauter did not see as a derby at all) against 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1:0. This was ultimately a well-deserved win.
Around 9,500 spectators in the URSAPHARM arena saw SVE win their second 2. Liga home game against the ‘Red Devils’. Muhammed Damar scored the home team’s only goal after 66 minutes. It was the 20-year-old Berlin native’s second goal – a week before he scored against Hertha in his home city, with his family in the crowd. SVE won that match 4:1. ‘I am very happy with both goals and both wins. I think the difference today is that we viewed this game as a derby, and the team from Lauter did not. We were quite simply more passionate, and really wanted the win’, the attacking player said, referencing various statements from the FCK camp before the game – they were trying hard not to describe this face-off with the upstarts from Saarland as a derby. SVE’s coach Horst Steffen did not agree: ‘Playing Hertha, Darmstadt, Köln or Kaiserslautern is still not an everyday occurrence for us. This means that tensions in the locker room will be a little higher’, the coach added, although conceding: ‘Ultimately, there are only three points in play, and we are very happy to have them.’ With twelve points from eight games, SVE are heading into the second international break of their second 2. Liga season in eighth place in the table. So far, there has been no sign of a ‘cursed’ or ‘difficult’ second year. Steffen’s team has been able to emerge victorious even from some tight games, such as in Karlsruhe (2:3) or at home against Köln (2:2). ‘Even after wins in Berlin or today, there are things I am not happy about. We were not tight enough at points during the first half. It got better after half-time, so I would say that the win is still well-deserved’, the coach noted.
For one of his players, this match on Kaiserlinde was a particularly special one. Carlo Sickinger spent nine years playing for FCK, worked his way up through the young talent centre, and was later the youngest ever captain of the professional team. After a less successful period in Sandhausen, he ended up in Elversberg, where he helped the team climb from the Regionalliga up to the 2. Liga. However, he was sat on the bench more often than not during this derby (or local duel). ‘These things happen in football. Things have not been going perfectly for me recently. It is all about staying on the ball’, the 27-year-old said after his team gained a well-deserved victory. ‘We let the flow of the game get away from us in the first half. It was a typical FCK game: a little bit wild, a few provocations. We did better after half-time’, said Sickinger, who was substituted on for stricken Semih Sahin after 54 minutes. Regarding the situation at his former club, Sickinger said: ‘It is a blessing and a curse. When you win, you can ride a wave of euphoria that takes you a long way. After defeats like this, the mood is naturally turbulent. Things are a little more peaceful here.’
Elversberg can definitely enjoy some peace, and the coach is also happy with twelve points and a derby win: ‘Yes, we are happy, pleased and delighted. We were lucky that Kaiserslautern did not score any goals in the first half. After that, we improved, and deserved the win’, Elversberg’s coach Horst Steffen said. Steffen was not satisfied with the wealth of goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, and will continue working on this during the upcoming international break. The next match will be another difficult one: on 19 October, SVE head to Münster to face a promoted team – and hopefully gain their third win in a row.
We were lucky that Kaiserslautern did not score any goals in the first half. After that, we improved, and deserved the win
Horst Steffen