Marcel Schuhen speaks even louder, his gaze becomes even more penetrating when he has a message that is important to him. On Sunday afternoon in the catacombs of the Hanover Arena, the "Lilies" goalkeeper said he was happy that there was always time to cool off a bit between the final whistle and interviews.

Too much had happened, too much had been discharged, the exchange of blows on the field was too harsh, the Darmstadters were too agitated and hard hit by the 1-2 defeat, which made the Bundesliga promotion a nail-biter. The parallels to the previous season are obvious: In May 2022, SVD lost the promotion race because the traditional brand Fortuna Düsseldorf, although it was no longer about anything for them, once again put in a strong performance.

In May 2023, the Darmstadters now awarded the second match point for promotion at the traditional brand Hannover 96 because the Lower Saxony team swung up to a high-energy performance at the end of a failed round against the "Lilies". Schuhen didn't want to resist a side blow: They had just managed to stay in the league and were now playing their best game of the season – the "Lilies", on the other hand, had already achieved this goal months ago, "because we work throughout the season".

Situation triggers fears of loss

And then the 30-year-old put on the aforementioned look. "The fact that we were able to get promoted on matchday 31," he said, "is sensational when you think about it." He continued: "Now we're looking forward to Friday." Schuhen really wanted to make this point – into what he also saw coming, beginning talk about a possible promotion panic.

As at home at the Böllenfalltor against St. Pauli (0:3), everything was set for a promotion break that was cancelled again. After the final whistle, the "Lilies" professionals stood in front of a blue and white wall of almost 5000 Darmstadt fans who had travelled with them, while "Second League, Darmstadt is there" sounded from the home corner.

Captain Fabian Holland gave insights that it is difficult for the professionals "when everything around us is designed for celebrations and everyone is just waiting for it". In the final games, in which the work of a whole season, indeed a booster for the overall development of the club, is so close and yet still at stake, the omens have changed for the players. The usual and commodious starting position of chasing a huge goal as a medium-sized club with a medium-sized budget has become a situation at the top of the table that triggers fears of loss.

Avoid a nerve-wracking finish

This is quite normal and very human for a team that has already given him and the fans "so much fun. The team lives for their big dream," said coach Torsten Lieberknecht. His tactical changes failed completely for the first time on the third-to-last matchday and left the Darmstadt team with an early 0-2 deficit. Goal scorer Phillip Tietz only made it 1-2 (43rd). The fact that two players, Bader and Manu, received yellow and red cards in the final phase, spoke for frustration and nervousness in equal measure in the "lilies" camp.

The next and last chance to secure promotion early and not rely on a nerve-wracking finish on the last matchday is this Friday evening (18.30) against 1. "We will strike back," Lieberknecht said. "That's not a slogan, that's total conviction." The Palatinate native has already hinted several times that after this brilliant Darmstadt season he would feel it would be a blatant injustice if it remained unrewarded.

There have been many weekends this season when the "Lilies" have been in the league with seven-league boots. Step by step, victory by victory, they worked successfully with a view to the big goal. And when, as at the beginning of March (with two defeats in a row), they faltered for a short time, they immediately got back on track better than ever. What will it be like now? Football history is full of teams that absolutely do not want to succeed in the final, decisive step. President Rüdiger Fritsch was not in the mood to talk much in the Hanoverian catacombs, unlike goalkeeper shoes. Only this much: "In the end, it will be settled. It's that simple. Always stay nice and calm and cool, it's all fine," he says.