FC St. Pauli has confidently overcome the difficult hurdle of FC Homburg, is in the DFB Cup quarter-finals and can therefore look forward to a refreshing 1.7 million euros in additional income. In front of 12,232 fans in Saarland, the brown-whites won 4-1 (1-1), having broken the fourth division team’s resistance after just over an hour.
Cauldron at Hansa, explosive atmosphere in the derby – the rather tranquil atmosphere in the idyllic Waldstadion, coupled with a euphoric underdog as an opponent, was the expected challenge for Hamburg right from the start. They approached the game with great concentration, had the ball almost the whole time, but didn’t find any gaps in the green and white bulwark for a long time.
Election puts St. Pauli in the lead
Things became dangerous for the first time after twelve minutes when Marcel Hartel tested keeper Kretzschmar with his head. And the second opportunity was right: Eric Smith headed a Hartel corner to Hauke Wahl, who was lurking at the second post and pushed the ball into the net to take the lead (24th).
It could have had a calming effect – if the surface, which is actually easy to play on, hadn’t protested at the worst possible time. Karol Mets played a free kick back to Sascha Burchert, and the marble bounced over the goalkeeper’s foot due to a treacherous bump in the ground. Homburg’s Mendler reacted wide awake and pushed the ball over the line to make it 1-1 (28′).
St. Pauli’s goalkeeper Sascha Burchert cannot prevent Homburg’s 1-1 draw. WITTERS
Burchert: “The ball bounces over my foot”
While the regional league team celebrated frenetically, all field players rushed to their goalkeeper and offered consolation, similar to HSV keeper Heuer Fernandes in the derby. “The ball just bounces over my foot,” said Burchert after the game.
The hit gave Homburg a huge tailwind. Until the break, the FCH kept things fairly balanced and, above all, didn’t allow a single chance for the neighborhood club.
Coach Fabian Hürzeler reacted during the break, bringing on Elias Saad for the pale Etienne Amenyido and Manolis Saliakas for Lars Ritzka. A measure that was initially noticeable through increased pressure and ultimately also on the scoreboard. After a sugar pass from Smith, three Kiezkickers, Saad, Philipp Treu and Johannes Eggestein, were free in front of Kretzschmar. Saad was able to make it 2-1 (64′).
Saad, Hartel and Eggestein score victory in Homburg
And this time, just to be on the safe side, the guests doubled down. First, Hartel circled the ball beautifully into the crease from 16 meters (69′), then Eggestein took advantage of a mistake by Homburg in the build-up with a dry finish (74′).
That was the end of the matter, the 23rd competitive game in a row without defeat was perfect for St. Pauli and the Kiezkickers were able to celebrate in front of their fiery fans.
Conclusion from unlucky Burchert: “In the second half we showed more power and killer instinct and deserved to win.”
Hürzeler satisfied with the second half
His coach Hürzeler said: “It was a game of patience and that’s what we expected. In the second half I saw my team being much more consistent, much clearer in their positional play, with much more effort towards the goal – and then we deserved to win.”
