FC St. Pauli

Head coach Markus Kauczinski made two changes to the side that won 2-1 at FC Magdeburg on the opening day, Jeremy Dudziak and Richard Neudecker coming into the team in place of Luca Zander, who sustained an ankle injury last week, and Waldemar Sobota, who dropped to the bench.

After being greeted by a shower of confetti from the stands, the Boys in Brown made a bright start and fashioned the first opening of the game with four minutes gone when Christopher Buchtmann tested Daniel Heuer Fernandes from range. Seven minutes later Sami Allagui burst down the left almost to the byeline before knocking the ball square, only to find no takers in the middle. And on 17 minutes Johannes Flum met a bouncing ball on the half-volley on the edge of the area, but the ball flew narrowly wide. St. Pauli were the busier of the two sides and registered more attempts on goal – the next one coming in the 25^th minute when Richard Neudecker almost caught Heuer Fernandes napping with a shot from 45 metres that narrowly missed the target.

A goal was in the air and it finally looked to have come moments later when Mats Møller-Dæhli stormed down the right and cut the ball back to Flum, whose header flew agonisingly over the top. At the other end Robin Himmelmann was called into action twice before the interval, first when he produced a fantastic reflex save to keep out Aytac Sulu's header on 28 and then when he defused a Serdar Dursun effort from the edge of the box eight minutes later.

Mats Møller Dæhli under challenge from Yannick Stark – neither team gave an inch all evening.

The ball eventually found its way into the net seven minutes after the restart. Møller-Dæhli forced his way down the right again and stood the ball up to the far post where Neudecker was lurking and the midfielder nodded home to give his side a deserved lead.

Darmstadt remained a threat, however, especially from set pieces, and Slobodan Medojevic headed wide from a free-kick on 63. But with the Boys in Brown preferring to go in search of a second goal rather than sit on their lead, Allagui was presented with a golden opportunity to double the advantage when sent clear by a slide-rule pass from Møller-Dæhli. Unfortunately, the striker allowed the ball to get away from him slightly and he was unable to find the net in two attempts.

The Boys in Brown continued to look closer to a second goal than Darmstadt to an equaliser – and that impression was confirmed five minutes from time. Neudecker impudently nipped between two defenders and knocked the ball across the face of the goal for Christopher Buchtmann to score with the easiest of tap-ins. Substitute Waldemar Sobota almost made it three on 89 with a shot that smacked against the crossbar, but that couldn't take the gloss off a home win that ensured Markus Kauczinski's side maintained their 100% record.

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann – Dudziak, Avevor, Ziereis, Buballa – Knoll – Neudecker, Flum, Buchtmann (90'+1), Møller-Dæhli (Sobota 77') – Allagui (Diamantakos 72')

Head coach: Markus Kauczinski

SV Darmstadt 98

Heuer Fernandes – Sirigu, Franke, Sulu, Holland (Boyd 81') – Stark (Mehlem 63'), Medojevic (Rieder 90') – Heller, Kempe, Jones – Dursun

Head coach: Dirk Schuster

Goals: 1-0 Neudecker (52'), 2-0 Buchtmann (85')

Yellow cards: Flum, Ziereis, Sobota – Kempe, Medojevic, Sulu

Referee: Guido Winkmann

Attendance: 29,140

Photos: Witters