2nd league
FC St. Pauli wins 4:3 at the Torfestival in Kiel
Leaders St. Pauli were able to distance second-placed Kiel by six points. photo
© Frank Molter/dpa
FC St. Pauli wins the top game of the 2nd Bundesliga. Kiel starts well, but the Hamburg team impresses with their efficiency. Kiel comes back, but can no longer equalize.
In a high-scoring top game he has FC St. Pauli extended its lead in the promotion race of the 2nd Bundesliga with a narrow victory over direct pursuers Holstein Kiel. Coach Fabian Hürzeler’s team saved a 4:3 (3:0) win in the sold-out Holstein Stadium after a 3:0 half-time lead.
In front of 15,034 spectators, Oladapo Afolayan (11th minute, 36th), Marcel Hartel (34th) and Connor Metcalfe (57th) scored for St. Pauli. Shuto Machino (53rd), Joshua Mees (65th) and Alexander Bernhardsson (82nd) were successful for Kiel. Hamburg leads the table by six points after 23 match days.
Kiel started bravely, but didn’t take advantage of its chances. St. Pauli proved to be significantly more efficient. Afolayan scored after an assist from Philipp Treu. The Hamburgers were lucky with a double aluminum goal by Marvin Schulz and Tom Rothe (19th), goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj then made a very close save on the line. Hartel increased and initiated the double strike with a through pass to Afolayan, who increased the score to 3-0.
After the break, Kiel came back and benefited from a mistake by goalkeeper Vasilj, who didn’t do a good job of Machino’s shot. Metcalfe restored the three-goal gap with his goal, while Mees and Bernhardsson made the game exciting again. The equalizer was no longer achieved.