FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler made four changes to the team that drew 0-0 with Fortuna Düsseldorf in the opening home game last week. Sascha Burchert made his first competitive start between the posts – and new signings Philipp Treu, starting on the left, and wide man Danel Sinani also began for the first time. Andreas Albers returned to the side after coming on from the bench against Düsseldorf, while Scott Banks, who arrived on loan in midweek, made his first appearance in the squad.

In the opening stages, the Hürzeler XI looked to switch the play intelligently in an attempt to prise open the deep-lying Delmenhorst backline or alternatively, pick out target man Andreas Albers. But it was the home team who threatened for the first time on the quarter-hour through Florian Stütz, who pulled the trigger from distance, forcing Burchert to stretch to turn the ball round for a corner. Two minutes later, Jackson Irvine tested Damian Schobert for the first time and it looked for all the world like a goal until the Atlas keeper produced a fine reflex save to deny the Aussie skipper.

There was nothing Schobert could do in the 24^th minute, however, when Eric Smith netted with a pinpoint free-kick into the bottom corner, as he had done in the curtain raiser against Hapoel Tel Aviv  - 1-0 to the Boys in Brown, who today were wearing their petrol-blue change strip. Irvine almost added a second just two minutes later but was denied by another decent stop from Schobert. Delmenhorst registered a second attempt on goal five minutes before the break, but Osman Mansaray’s shot on the counter was no problem for Burchert. Marcel Hartel fired just wide of the left-hand upright in time added on, and the Hürzeler XI went in a goal to the good at the break.

Eric Smith (right) takes the plaudits after opening the scoring from a free-kick

Both sides emerged unchanged for the second period and once again it was the home team who threatened first. Again it was Mansaray who tested Burchert, after breaking clear following a St. Pauli corner, but ‘Beucke’ showed all his experience in narrowing the angle to save with his chest. At the other end, Hartel latched onto a lovely through ball from Danel Sinani on 57, but his lob cleared not only the Delmenhorst keeper but also the crossbar. The ball did find the net two minutes later, though, when Andreas Albers harried Schobert into an error in the box and Yunus Sari’s attempted clearance rebounded unluckily off the keeper and into his own net. 

Within 60 seconds, Elias Saad put the result beyond doubt with a dazzling solo run. The Hamburg-born player danced past three defenders in the box before slotting home coolly to make it 3-0. The goals were coming thick and fast now and when Yunus Sari clattered into Hartel in the box, the referee awarded a penalty and sent off the Atlas defender. ‘Cello’ picked himself to convert the spot-kick with aplomb. Hürzeler took the opportunity to make a string of substitutions, with defender David Nemeth celebrating his return to action after a lengthy injury layoff. Burchert then pulled off another good save to deny Leonit Basha in a one on one on 77.

The Boys in Brown proved more prolific than the home side again two minutes from time when Dapo Afolayan netted on the rebound after Johannes Eggestein had been denied by Schobert. That was the end of the scoring, and the Boys in Brown booked their place in the second round with a comfortable 5-0 victory.

SV Atlas Delmenhorst

Schobert - Fenski, Cissé, Sari, Eggert (Uschpol 72’) - Stütz, Eggersglüß (Ngongfor 65’) - Touray, Azadzoy (C) (Trebin 65’), Mansaray (Basha 73’) - Gysbers (Dähnenkamp 65’)

Head coach: Dominik Schmidt

FC St. Pauli

Burchert – Wahl, Smith (Nemeth 72’), Mets (Dźwigała 63’) – Saliakas, Irvine (C) (Metcalfe 72’), Hartel, Treu – Saad, Albers (Eggestein 72’), Sinani (Afolayan 63’)

Head coach: Fabian Hürzeler

Goals: 0-1 Smith (24’), 0-2 Sari (o.g. 59’), 0-3 Saad (68’), 0-4 Hartel (pen. 71’), 0-5 Afolayan (88’)

Yellow cards: Sari, Adzadzoy

Red card (second yellow): Sari

Referee: Patrick Schwengers (Limburg)

Attendance: 4,999

Photos: FC St. Pauli