FC St. Pauli

After seeing his side take seven points from the last three games, head coach Markus Kauczinski made just one change for the visit of SV Sandhausen, Ryo Miyaichi slotting in for of Cenk Sahin to make his first start since the 3-1 win at Bochum on 21 May 2017. At the Millerntor the Japan midfielder had not started a game since the 1-1 draw against Bochum on 17 December 2016.

In keeping with the perfect conditions (13 degrees and lots of sun), the Boys in Brown made a very bright start to the proceedings. The bulk of the opening forays unfolded down the right-hand side and involved Miyaichi, but their first real incursion came from the left when Mats Møller Dæhli scampered down the flank and laid the ball off to Marvin Knoll. His attempted return pass to the Norwegian was mopped up by the visitors, however. Just 120 seconds later Jeremy Dudziak dinked a ball into the box for the marauding Knoll. From a narrow angle he stretched to guide the ball towards the target with the outside of his boot, but SVS keeper Niklas Lomb dealt with it comfortably.

Another assault on the Sandhausen goal followed in the 11^th minute. Knoll almost found the Dimitrios Diamantakos in space in the box, but the pass was slightly overhit and the danger subsided. At the other end, Robin Himmelmann had to intervene for the first time on the quarter-hour. Unable to use his hands just outside the area, he opted to head the ball clear but could only find Denis Linsmayer, whose attempted lob was thankfully way too high.

Then, in the 17^th minute, the fourth St. Pauli raid finally brought the breakthrough. Buchtmann knocked the ball into the path of Dudziak, and he showed good vision to pick out Diamantakos, who had no trouble slotting home from close range to give his side a deserved lead.

With 25 minutes gone, the Boys in Brown surged down the left for a change. In a move involving Dudziak, Buchtmann and Møller Dæhli, the ball eventually ended up back with Buchtmann, whose low ball in would have been gratefully received by Knoll had Markus Karl not stepped in to deal with the situation.

In the ensuing period, the visitors enjoyed slightly more of the possession but were unable to find a way to unlock the compact FCSP rearguard. Seven minutes before the interval Philipp Klingmann did find the time to launch a cross into the box from the right to Fabian Schleusener, but his header posed no problem for Himmelmann.

Sandhausen had one more opportunity just before the break. The ball was launched upfield to Schleusener, who went to ground in a challenge with Daniel Buballa. Referee Robert Kempter waved play on, and when Klingmann followed up by pulling the trigger from the inside-right channel, Christopher Avevor threw himself at the ball to make a successful block.

Sandhausen coach Kenan Kocak made one change at the half, introducing the attacking Felix Müller for defender Jesper Verlaat, while the Boys in Brown remained unchanged. The visitors also made a tactical switch, switching to four at the back instead of five and an extra man in midfield.

The first half-chance of the half fell to Kauczinski's side on 51. Buballa's ball in from the left evaded friend and foe alike and almost sneaked in at the far post. Sandhausen cranked up the turbo in response, and soon fashioned another opportunity for Klingmann. His effort from 15 metres sailed well off target, however.

Two minutes later the alarm bells were ringing for the Boys in Brown when Philipp Förster met a free-kick at the back post and Himmelmann had to produce a decent stop with his foot to prevent the equaliser. Almost immediately, Schleusener tried his luck with a backheel and then, from the resulting corner, was unlucky to see a volley fly a whisker past the left-hand upright from 10 metres.

Kauczinski's charges needed to up their attacking game but were unable to find a gap in the SVS defence. The St. Pauli boss responded by throwing on Henk Veerman for Diamantakos on 72. A goal came almost immediately, but it was at the wrong end. Müller dispatched a dangerous free-kick into the penalty box and substitute Kevin Behrens glanced the ball into the net with the finest of headers.

Sandhausen continued to push forward and nearly added a second just 60 seconds later when Linsmayer found Behrens unmarked completely unmarked on the edge of the goal area. This time, the goalscorer didn't make a clean contact, however, and the ball flew wide of the target. Amid all the pressure, the Boys in Brown hit back with a double chance for Veerman. The Dutchman did brilliantly to latch onto a long ball forward and was initially denied by Lomb. Buchtmann was first to the loose ball and knocked it back to Veerman, who stepped inside before firing a left-foot drive narrowly past the right-hand post.

Four minutes later, FCSP came again, combining neatly to set up Møller Dæhli in a promising position on the right of the box. The Norway international hesitated, however, and when he did shoot, the ball flew two metres wide of the near post. In a final roll of the dice, Kauczinski sent on another striker in Sami Allagui for Johannes Flum in the 86^th minute, having already introduced Neudecker ten minutes earlier. Just moments after coming on, Allagui found himself stretching to get on the end of a Buchtmann volley that flashed across the face of the goal. The contact was there but it was not enough to divert the ball into the net.

Anyone who thought that was it was to be proved dramatically wrong. In the final minute of regulation time, Allagui collected the ball in the opposition half and played it to Veerman, who returned the compliment with a delightful backheeled pass into the path of the Tunisian, and he left Lomb no chance with a pinpoint shot into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1. More last-minute madness at the Millerntor! And there was even more to come! Allagui and Neudecker both had chances to make it three, only to be denied by Lomb, but Buchtmann was arriving in support and he converted Neudecker's cutback to trigger wild victory celebrations both on and off the pitch.

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann – Dudziak, Ziereis, Avevor, Buballa – Flum (Allagui 86'), Knoll – Miyaichi (Neudecker 76'), Buchtmann, Møller Dæhli – Diamantakos (Veerman 72')

Head coach: Markus Kauczinski

SV Sandhausen

Lomb – Klingmann, Kister, Karl, Verlaat (Müller 46'), Paqarada – Kulovits (Vollmann 68'), Linsmayer – Förster – Schleusener, Wooten (Behrens 56')

Head coach: Kenan Kocak

Goals: 1-0 Diamantakos (17'), 1-1 Behrens (73'), 2-1 Allagui (90'), 3-1 Buchtmann (90'+3)

Yellow cards: Miyaichi, Dudziak – Kister, Verlaat, Förster

Referee: Robert Kempter

Attendance: 29,546 (sold out)

Photos: Witters