FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler made two changes to the side that won at Kaiserslautern on the opening day. New recruit Hauke Wahl made his first start for the club in place of Jakov Medić, who has been given time off to conduct transfer negotiations, while Dapo Afolayan slotted into the front three alongside Elias Saad and Connor Metcalfe, with Andreas Albers dropping to the bench. Düsseldorf coach Daniel Thioune went with the same eleven players who started last week’s 1-0 defeat of Hertha BSC. 

Before the game kicked off, the two sides observed a minute’s silence in honour of the worker who died in an accident at the Millerntor on Tuesday, 25 July.

Both teams came flying out of the traps and it was Fortuna who threatened for the first time through Felix Klaus seven minutes in. The winger collected a low cutback on the edge of the box following a corner and his shot was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Nikola Vasilj. And less than a minute later, Fortuna keeper Florian Kastenmeier had to stretch to turn a goalbound Jackson Irvine effort onto the crossbar. The Boys in Brown began to dictate the proceedings and fashioned their next chance in the 18^th minute when Connor Metcalfe whipped a ball into the goal area from the right, but Kastenmeier was able to get a block in to deny Elias Saad.

It was the turn of the visitors to threaten again on the half-hour. A long ball forward sent Klaus on his way, but Vasilj produced a smart save from close range. Then the home fans were up on their feet in expectation when a deflected ball fell at the feet of Irvine, who forced a fine reflex save from Kastenmeier, leaving the two sides to go in goalless at the break.

Minute’s silence before kick-off.

Both terms emerged unchanged for the second half and with the same attacking intent. As in the first half, the visitors were the first to threaten on 55 when Felix Klaus volleyed an undercooked headed clearance just wide of the goal from the edge of the area. After that wake-up call, the Boys in Brown carved out a decent opportunity two minutes later, Elias Saad poking a shot narrowly wide of the target. 

With an hour gone it looked for all the world as if Irvine would open the scoring. The Australian wriggled his way through the Düsseldorf rearguard in fine fashion, only to be denied by another accomplished reflex stop from Kastenmeier, who got down low to his right to turn the shot round the post for a corner. Eric Smith also went close after 69 minutes with an effort that took a deflection off Fortuna defender Jordy de Wijs and flew narrowly wide of the target, with Kastenmeier looking on.

A handball by Düsseldorf skipper André Hoffmann gave the Boys in Brown a free-kick in an excellent central position on the D. Eric Smith stepped up and bent the ball just over the crossbar. Going into the closing stages, Hürzeler added fresh legs up front in Danel Sinani and Andreas Albers, but instead of a goal he got to see a red card for centre-back Karol Mets after an over-the-top challenge on Jona Niemiec. Hürzeler was also booked in the aftermath. The resulting free-kick was dispatched a whisker past the post by Klaus. 

Down to ten the Boys in Brown were able to fend off the visitors in the closing stages and the opening home game of the 2023/24 campaign ended in a goalless draw.

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Wahl, Smith, Mets - Saliakas, Hartel, Irvine (C), Ritzka - Metcalfe (Sinani 70’), Afolayan (Albers 81’), Saad (Treu 86’)

Head coach: Fabian Hürzeler

Fortuna Düsseldorf

Kastenmeier - Zimmermann, Hoffmann (C), de Wijs (Siebert 83’), Gavory - Sobottka, Tanaka - Klaus, Appelkamp, Iyoha (Niemiec 70’) - Ginczek (Vermeij 70’)

Head coach: Daniel Thioune

Yellow cards: Metcalfe, Hürzeler, Sinani – Niemiec

Red card: Mets (serious foul play)

Referee: Daniel Schlager (Hügelsheim)

Attendance: 29,546

Photos: FC St. Pauli