FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler saw no reason to change the side that won 1-0 at Heidenheim last week, with Eric Smith still sidelined. Braunschweig coach Michael Schiele, in contrast, made two adjustments after the 1-0 home win against Kaiserslautern, Nathan de Medina and Manuel Wintzheimer coming for Brian Behrendt, who dropped to the bench, and injured leading scorer Immanuël Pherai. The in-form visitors came to the Millerntor looking to pick up further points in their bid to avoid relegation after two wins and a draw in their last three games, while the Boys in Brown had only one thing on their minds and that was to secure their 11th successive win to close the gap on neighbours HSV to three points ahead of the return derby next week.

The visitors came flying out of the traps in front of a sell-out crowd at the Millerntor and took the lead after just 41 seconds. Adam Dźwigała initially got the better of Anthony Ujah on the edge of the box, but the ball fell to the onrushing Maurice Multhaup, who fired into the bottom-left corner from 18 metres. The ball took a decisive deflection off Manolis Saliakas on its way in, leaving Nikola Vasilj powerless. The Boys in Brown brushed themselves down and went out in search of an equaliser. Leart Paqarada crossed from the byeline to the back post for Saliakas to scuff the ball back to Daschner, whose close-range header proved no problem for Ron-Thorben Hoffmann in the Braunschweig goal.

Fabian Hürzeler's men continued to press and pinned the visitors back in their own half, coming close to scoring twice within 40 seconds after 14 minutes. After Oladapo Afolayan had missed by a whisker following great work by Lukas Daschner and Marcel Hartel, the resulting corner was struck by Paqarada to Saliakas on the edge of the box. His first-time volley was straight out of the top drawer, but unfortunately too central. Seven minutes later, the visitors conjured up a chance out of the blue. Ujah's angled effort from 14 metres missed the far post by some distance, however. Unfortunately, Manuel Wintzheimer proved more accurate soon afterwards when Braunschweig switched the play quickly by hitting it long and the striker smashed a shot into the bottom-right corner from the left channel. Once again, Vasilj had no chance.

In the ensuing period, the Boys in Brown struggled to find a way through the packed Braunschweig defence. Hürzeler responded with an early substitution on 35 minutes, adding Afeez Aremu for Adam Dźwigała and switching from a back three to a line of four. Just before the interval, they came close to halving the deficit when a half-cleared corner fell to Paqarada, whose right-foot shot flew narrowly past the far post. Paqarada had another go in time added on, but was further off target than before, and the half ended with the Boys in Brown 2-0 down.

Hürzeler made one change for the second 45 minutes. Johannes Eggestein entered the fray for Connor Metcalfe and slotted in alongside Daschner up front. As in the first half, the visitors were content to let the Boys in Brown have the ball and keep things tight from the halfway line. A gap in the Braunschweig rearguard did open up on 51, however, when Aremu passed to Eggestein, who then gave it to Daschner, but his shot from 20 metres was too central and again proved no problem for Hoffmann. Moments later, Afolayan nicked the ball off Anton Donkor on the right and whipped a cross into the middle. Daschner got a toe to it but the ball flew agonisingly wide of far post.

The Brown and Whites maintained the pressure and Hartel picked out Eggestein in the box, but the keeper was out of his goal quickly and able to smother. Afolayan then had the ball in the net after being played in by Hartel, only for referee Robert Hartmann to disallowed it for offside. Unfortunately, it was the correct decision. Back at the other end, Lion Lauberbach took the ball round Vasilj and cut it back from the byline, but Saliakas nipped in to clear with Ujah shaping to shoot.

Roared on by the home crowd, the Boys in Brown launched a wave of attacks and Afolayan had the next opportunity from a Paqarada cross. His first attempt was blocked by Hasan Kuruçay, and the second, from an acute angle, hit the side netting. With time running out to ward off the impending defeat, Hartel almost pulled one back in the 75th minute, but his shot from inside the D was turned round the post by the impressive Hoffmann

Hürzeler responded by throwing on David Otto and Elias Saad for Manolis Saliakas and Lukas Daschner on 77. Otto slotted in straightaway and laid the ball off to Eggestein, whose shot inside the box struck Filip Benković on the leg and looped up for Hoffmann to collect. The Boys in Brown had scored in each of their last 11 games, but it was looking as if the ball simply wouldn't go in today. And Braunschweig almost settled it on the break when substitute Robin Krauße put the ball just past the post from just outside the area. But then, finally, it was time for Song 2 to ring round the Millerntor. Hartel cut the ball back and Jakov Medić smashed the ball into the bottom-right corner from ten metres to reduce the deficit. The ground was rocking now, and the Boys in Brown pushed for an equaliser with the backing of the fans. It was not to be, however, and their winning run came to an end.

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Dźwigała (Aremu 35'), Medić, Mets - Saliakas (Saad 77') , Irvine, Hartel, Paqarada (Beifus 86')- Metcalfe (Eggestein 46'), Daschner (Otto 77'), Afolayan

Head coach: Fabian Hürzeler

Eintracht Braunschweig

Hoffmann - De Medina, Benkovic, Kuruçay - Multhaup (Kijewski 77' ), Henning (Krauße 60'), Nikolaou, Donkor, Wintzheimer (Marx 86'), Lauberbach (Kaufmann 77') - Ujah (Bonga 77')

Head coach: Michael Schiele

Goals: 0-1 Multhaup (1'), 0-2 Wintzheimer (25'), 1-2 (Medić 85')

Yellow cards: Saad - Henning, Donkor

Referee: Robert Hartmann (Wangen)

Attendance: 29,546 (sold out)

Photos: FC St. Pauli