FC St. Pauli

Though there were no changes to the side that beat Schalke 2-1 last week, there was one key difference. Head coach Timo Schultz, who missed the games against Nürnberg and Schalke due to a Covid-19 infection, returned to the dugout. A "terrible experience", as he put it, was made more bearable by the two victories, and with him back at the helm the aim was for another to follow at Düsseldorf. The home side, who won 3-1 at Darmstadt last time out, were without their injured captain Adam Bodzek. He was replaced in the back three by Dragoș Nedelcu.

"Alleeez, Forza Sankt Pauli, Forza Saaaankt Pauliii" was the chant from the 1,500 or so travelling fans as the game got under way. Yet it was Fortuna who fashioned the first chance of a lively opening, Emmanuel Iyoha heading comfortably over from a quickly taken corner in the third minute. At the other end, Fortuna keeper Raphael Wolf had to be alert to keep the ball out. A free-kick from Leart Paqarada was met on the bounce by Jackson Irvine, whose header was heading for the top corner until it was turned over the bar by Wolf.

The two teams cancelled each other out in the ensuing period, which was primarily down to the solid defensive work of both sides. Most attacking forays broke down in the opposition penalty box, if they made it that far. What the game lacked in highlights, however, it made up for in intensity. The next opportunity of note did not materialise until the 24^th minute when Marcel Hartel hammered a free-kick into the wall. After much toing and froing, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh was finally presented with a chance to open the scoring on 41. Igor Matanović neatly laid off a Luca Zander cross for Kyereh to pull the trigger in the box, only to hit it straight at Wolf. Kyereh had another go from range a few minutes later, but this time the ball flew well off target. That was to prove the last of the action and the teams went in deadlocked at the break.

Igor Matanović and Dragoș Nedelcu vie for the ball in a high-intensity first half.

Both sides emerged unchanged for the second half. A good decision from the brown-and-white point of view, as the Schultz XI found themselves in front with just 70 seconds on the clock. Kyereh won the ball 30 metres from goal and angled a perfect ball into the box for Hartel to net first time on the volley. What a start to the half! And the Boys in Brown remained the busier side. A foul by Nedelcu on Matanović resulted in a free-kick just outside the box. Paqarada curled  the ball over the wall but unfortunately it came down on top of the net.

Fortuna coach Christian Preusser responded with the introduction of a striker for a defender, Kristoffer Peterson replacing Dragoș Nedelcu. The hosts upped the pressure a notch, but the Schultz XI defended superbly as a unit to keep them at bay. Up front, the Boys in Brown remained a threat and carved out the next chance, Hartel forcing a save from Wolf from distance. But then, almost completely out of the blue, the home side were level. Iyoha forced his way down the right and cut the ball back from the byeline for Rouwen Hennings, who had been largely anonymous until then, to exploit the space and register with a clinical finish on 69.

Schultz wasted no time in making his first substitution, Maximilian Dittgen replacing Igor Matanović. A fine move involving several players five minutes later ended with Dittgen coming within a whisker of connecting with a low ball in from Guido Burgstaller. The game continued at a high tempo, with neither side prepared to settle for a draw. Nikola Vasilj was called into action in the 77^th minute, dealing comfortably with a Piotrowski header. Almost immediately, Dittgen narrowly failed to latch onto another delivery from Burgstaller, who then saw a long-range effort saved by Wolf from the resulting corner.

Three minutes later, the ball was in the net. Jackson Irvine's joy proved short-lived, however, as Burgstaller had strayed into an offside position in the build-up. The game ebbed and flowed, and Düsseldorf had the next opportunity through Peterson, who pulled the trigger from just inside the box. Vasilj was alert to the danger, however, and gathered with aplomb. Schultz ushered in the last few minutes with a triple substitution, Sebastian Ohlsson, Rico Benatelli and Christopher Buchtmann entering the fray for Luca Zander, Eric Smith and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh. The Boys in Brown knocked on the door again, but neither Ohlsson nor Etienne Amenyido, just on for Burgstaller, were able to find the net. The Boys in Brown thus had to settle for a 1-1 draw at the end of an outstanding first half of the season.

Fortuna Düsseldorf

Wolf - Klarer, Nedelcu (Peterson 59'), Oberdorf - Narey, Tanaka, Koutris, Sobottka, Piotrowski (Pledl 78') - Iyoha, Hennings (Lobinger 89')

Head coach: Christian Preusser

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Zander (Ohlsson 85'), Ziereis, Lawrence, Paqarada - Smith (Buchtmann 85'), Irvine, Hartel, Kyereh (Benatelli 85') - Burgstaller (Amenyido 89'), Matanović (Dittgen 69')

Head coach: Timo Schultz

Goals: 0-1 Hartel (47'), 1-1 Hennings (68')

Yellow cards: Nedelcu, Piotrowski – Smith

Referee: Thorben Siewer (Olpe)

Attendance: 15,000

Photos: Witters