FC St. Pauli

Official send-offs are part and parcel of the game at the end of the season, and the players who are leaving the club in summer came together before the game to bid farewell to the fans. They included Bernd Nehrig, who made the trip back to the Millerntor to take the plaudits of the crowd.

Then it was back to the football. Head coach Jos Luhukay made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 at Dynamo Dresden last Friday. Brian Koglin deputised for the ailing Jeremy Dudziak in defence, making his fifth second division appearance to date and his first start this season. The injured Ryo Miyaichi, who would have missed the game anyway due to suspension, was replaced by Kevin Lankford on his first start for the club. There were also debut appearances in the squad for Christian Conteh and Luis Coordes, who began on the bench.

Bochum coach Robin Dutt made just one change to the team that beat Magdeburg 4-2 at home last weekend, Sidney Sam returning from a thigh injury to replace Milos Pantovic, who dropped to the bench.

Played in bright sunshine and under a clear blue sky, the game began with a bang when Sami Allagui pulled the trigger from the inside-left channel, only to see the ball rattle the near post before Bochum keeper Riemann recovered to smother the rebound. The opening exchanges were fast and furious and the next chance wasn't long in coming. This time it was the visitors' turn to threaten. Silvère Ganvoula cracked one from around 20 metres but the ball flew wide of Robin Himmelmann's goal.

The Boys in Brown did far more of the attacking at this stage of the game and in the 14^th minute Diamantakos sent Sami Allagui on his way. The striker stuck the ball in the net, but the joy was short-lived as the referee's assistant raised his flag for offside. Another finely crafted attack ended with Diamantakos lashing a venomous drive towards the top-left corner. Riemann got his hands up quickly, however, and tipped the ball over the crossbar for a corner, which eventually ended with Kalla directing a shot off target from range.  

Bochum then began to show their intent and with 28 minutes on the clock Baumgartner skated down the right in fine style and suddenly found himself with a clear run on goal. Fortunately, he knocked the ball slightly too far in front of him and the chance was gone. Almost immediately, Himmelmann was tested for the first time when Sam drilled a free-kick towards goal. The keeper was alert to the danger, however, and was able to punch the ball away.

It remained a lively affair in the final quarter of an hour, though a series of niggling fouls ensured much of the action unfolded between the two penalty areas. The best chance in this period fell to Allagui, who collected a wonderful through ball and battered one towards the far corner, only for Riemann to produce another decent stop to ensure the two sides went in goalless at the break.

Luis Coordes (left) made his first-team debut against Bochum.

Robin Dutt opted to make a switch during the interval, Sidney Sam making way for Tom Weilandt. The Boys in Brown returned for the second half with an unchanged lineup.

The first opportunity after the restart fell to the visitors and it was the substitute who almost made an immediate impact, Himmelmann having to stretch to keep out Weilandt's effort. Jos Luhukay's side had to wait until the 55^th minute for their first attempt on goal. Kevin Lankford summoned up the courage to go for goal from distance and hit his shot just wide. 

A string of substitutions followed on both sides, among them Luis Coordes, who thus made his senior debut for the Boys in Brown. The 20-year-old caught the eye straightaway, steering a shot wide of the left-hand upright after receiving the ball from Mats Møller Dæhli.

It remained an entertaining game of football that ebbed to and fro in the final quarter of an hour. Himmelmann had to pull out all the stops to keep out a Ganvoula effort, while at the other end Riemann rushed out of his goal to nick the ball off the toe of Schneider. Ganvoula was in the thick of things again soon after, initially seeing off the challenge of Koglin, but the striker found no takers with his forward pass and Coordes stepped in to tidy up.

The Boys in Brown rallied a final time at the end, but it wasn't to be, and the final home game of the season ended in a stalemate.

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann – Kalla (Coordes 61'), Koglin, Hoogma, Buballa – Park, Møller Dæhli, Becker, Lankford – Allagui (Schneider 66'), Diamantakos (Alex Meier 82')

Head coach: Jos Luhukay

VfL Bochum

Riemann – Baumgartner (Pantovic 61'), Fabian, Bella Kotchap, Bandowski – Sam (Weilandt 46'), Losilla, Eisfeld, Lee (Soares 63') - Hinterseer, Ganvoula

Head coach: Robin Dutt

Yellow cards: Pantovic

Referee: Daniel Siebert

Attendance: 29,546 (sold out)