FC St. Pauli

After extending their unbeaten run in the league with the last-minute defeat of SV Sandhausen on Sunday, the Boys in Brown took advantage of the international break to play a friendly at Altona 93. The fifth-tier Hamburg outfit have hit a rich of vein themselves, climbing to the top of the table on the back of eight wins in succession.

Head coach Markus Kauczinski rang the changes to give players who have not enjoyed much playing time recently a chance to show what they can do. The squad was also strengthened by the addition of Under-23 players Seung-Won Lee and Robin Meissner plus Marvin Senger of the Under-19s.

His rejigged side made a bright start to the game and took the lead with their first attack on goal, Sami Allagui shrugging off a couple of challenges to bury the ball in the left corner. The Boys in Brown continued to push forward and threatened the Altona goal again with two Allagui headers from crosses by Cenk Sahin on 7 and Richard Neudecker four minutes later. A low ball in from Sahin then found the unmarked Henk Veerman, who was left with a simple tap-in to make it 2-0 on 21. Just three minutes later, Florian Carstens powered home a header from a Bernd Nehrig corner to make it three.

Defender Florian Carstens heads the third on 24 minutes.

The action calmed down a little after that and Altona threatened for the first time after 36 minutes when a Niklas Siebert header flew past Svend Brodersen but was hacked off the line acrobatically by Yiyoung Park. Tolga Tüter then went even closer for the home side two minutes before the interval, his powerfully struck free-kick smacking against the crossbar.

Altona carried the momentum into the second half, without ever being able to carve out any chances of note. And in the 56^th minute they found themselves four down when Robin Meissner, who had only just come on, netted with his first touch of the ball. Moments later Meissner was perfectly placed again to convert an Allagui pass. What a way to celebrate his first game for the senior side, just three days after his 19^th birthday!

Despite a string of substitutions, Kauczinski's side comfortably administered their lead, giving little away at the back. The unmarked Allagui dragged a shot just wide from a Miyaichi cross on 77 and so it ended 5-0.

Ersin Zehir under challenge from Abdullah Yilmaz.

A satisfied Markus Kauczinski spoke after the final whistle: "All in all it was a decent run-out in a superb atmosphere. It was a nice opportunity to play in front of so many spectators in our own city, with a short journey and against good opposition."

Altona 93

Grubba - Yilmaz, Wachowski, Schwaebe, Hacker, Tüter, Metidji, Gebissa, Schultz, Siebert, Müller

Head coach: Berkan Algan

FC St. Pauli

Brodersen (Müller 46') - Park (Buballa 77'), Koglin, Carstens (Senger 55'), Neudecker (Dudziak 57') - Sahin (Kalla 46'), Nehrig (Flum 77'), Zehir (Lee 77'), Schneider (Miyaichi 69') - Veerman (Meissner 55'), Allagui (Coordes 77')

Head coach: Markus Kauczinski

Goals: 0-1 Allagui (2'), 0-2 Veerman (21'), 0-3 Carstens (24'), 0-4 Meissner (56'), 0-5 Meissner (60')

Yellow cards: -

Referee: Murat Yilmaz (Hamburg)

Attendance: 2,089

Photos: Witters