FC St. Pauli

With James Lawrence and Rico Benatelli both suspended, head coach Timo Schultz was forced to adjust his team for the trip to Regensburg. Daniel Buballa slotted into central defence for Lawrence, with Adam Dźwigała starting in holding midfield in place of Benatelli. Between the posts, Dejan Stojanović got the nod over Dennis Smarsch, while Omar Marmoush partnered Guido Burgstaller up front instead of Maximilian Dittgen. The Boys in Brown went into the game aiming to finish seventh, while Regensburg needed a point to avoid a relegation play-off against the third-placed side in division three, FC Ingolstadt 04.

The game began in bright sunshine on a newly laid pitch and the first half-chance fell to the home side in the third minute, but Daniel Buballa was able to block an 18-metre drive from former St. Pauli man Jan-Marc Schneider. At the other end, Guido Burgstaller had a golden opportunity to open the scoring after being teed up nicely by Omar Marmoush. But instead of pulling the trigger first time, he elected to sidestep goalkeeper Alexander Meyer, who managed to take the ball from him. Regensburg twice went close a few minutes later when Andreas Albers drew a fine save from Dejan Stojanović and Adam Dźwigała cleared the rebound effort from Schneider off the line. The home side did take the lead 60 seconds later, however. Luca Zander lost his footing unchallenged in the six-yard box, allowing Sebastian Stolze to square the ball for Jann George to net from close range.

Though the Boys in Brown continued to push forward, they lacked ideas and pace in their passing and thus struggled to unlock the tight home defence. Regensburg were the busier and more dangerous side up front and fashioned another chance on 24, but Albers headed over from an Erik Wekesser cross. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh then tried his luck from 20 metres with a shot that proved too central and no trouble for Meyer. With the home side keeping things tight at the back, the game looked to be drifting towards half-time until Regensburg doubled their advantage two minutes before the break. Schneider found Albers in space and he left Stojanović no chance with a shot into the bottom right corner.

Guido Burgstaller had an early opportunity to open the scoring but was denied by Regensburg keeper Alexander Meyer as he tried to take the ball around him.

Both sides emerged unchanged for the second period. The Schultz XI began the brighter but again lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Rodrigo Zalazar did go for goal from just outside the box after Kyereh had chested down a Leart Paqarada cross, but Meyer made a comfortable save.

Schultz quickly made his first two changes, Christopher Buchtmann and Jannes Wieckhoff replacing Finn Ole Becker and Luca Zander. His team had lost their momentum, however, and the hosts came back into it. Stolze hit the side netting from a narrow angle in the 63^rd minute but went one better less than 60 seconds later following a quick counterthrust that saw Albers cut the ball back in the box for Stolze to arrow a pinpoint drive into the bottom left-hand corner.

Schultz responded with another double substitution, introducing Maximilian Dittgen and Simon Makienok for Leart Paqarada and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh. The pattern remained the same, however, with Regensburg continuing to keep a tight ship at the back and carry a threat up front and the Boys in Brown struggling to carve out any clear-cut chances. St. Pauli were reduced to ten for the closing stages when Daniel Buballa was shown a second yellow card eight minutes from time. Just before the end, Stojanović denied the home side a fourth with an excellent reflex save to frustrate Oliver Hein, who then struck the underside of the crossbar before directing the rebound wide of the upright.

That was the end of the action and the Boys in Brown signed off the campaign with a 3-0 defeat. And with SC Paderborn drawing 1-1 at Würzburg, the Schultz XI dropped a place to finish the season in tenth.

The victory saw Regensburg reach safety, but there was to be no escaping the drop for Eintracht Braunschweig, who lost 4-0 at HSV. VfL Osnabrück went down 2-1 at Erzgebirge Aue and will contest the promotion/relegation play-off against FC Ingolstadt. In an exciting promotion race involving three teams, VfL Bochum finished as champions following a 3-1 victory over SV Sandhausen, while Greuther Fürth clinched second spot with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf despite being reduced to ten. Holstein Kiel slipped to a 3-2 home defeat against Darmstadt and will face FC Köln in the Bundesliga promotion/relegation play-off.

SSV Jahn Regensburg

Meyer - Saller, Kennedy, Wekesser, Nachreiner - Besuschkow (Hein 59'), Gimber, George (Beste 72'), Stolze (Vrenezi 72') - Albers (Otto 84'), Schneider (Caliskaner 84')

Head coach: Mersad Selimbogović

FC St. Pauli

Stojanović - Zander (Wieckhoff 55'), Ziereis, Buballa, Paqarada (Dittgen 65') - Dźwigała, Becker (Buchtmann 55'), Zalazar, Kyereh (Makienok 65') - Marmoush, Burgstaller (Reginiussen 90'+1)

Head coach: Timo Schultz

Goals: 1-0 George (14'), 2-0 Albers (44'), 3-0 Stolze (64')

Yellow cards: Buballa, Dźwigała

Red card (second yellow): Buballa (persistent foul play 82')

Referee: Dr Martin Thomsen (Kleve)

Photos: Witters