FC St. Pauli

Last minute win over Duisburg

Dynamo Dresden followed our lead by kicking off the new campaign with a 1-0 win over promoted side MSV Duisburg. In an encounter with big chances for both teams it was left to Dresden's Lucas Röser to grab the winner two minutes from time. Duisburg were out of luck in the 72^nd  minute when a Moritz Stoppelkamp effort struck the post.

Cruel start for Testroet

Dresden's opening-day win was overshadowed by a serious injury to striker Pascal Testroet following a 23^rd minute collision with MSV goalkeeper Mark Flekken. The 26-year-old suffered a lesion of the meniscus and ruptured the MCL and cruciate ligaments. According to coach the striker will be sidelined for the rest of the year. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from all of us, Pascal!

Auspicious Gonther debut

After five years and 94 competitive appearances (four goals) in a St. Pauli shirt Sören Gonther opted for a move to Dynamo during the summer break. The 30-year-old was named in the starting lineup by coach Uwe Neuhaus and gave his customary accomplished performance. Gonther won 63.6 per cent of his duels and 68 of his 71 passes found their intended target, i.e. 95.8 per cent – no one was better on the opening day.

Comings and goings

It was a busy summer for Dynamo Dresden as far as transfers are concerned. Besides Gonther the Saxony outfit signed four more players. Midfielders Patrick Möschl (SV Ried) and Sascha Horvatz (Sturm Graz) moved from Austria to Dresden, and they were joined by fellow midfielder Rico Benatelli (Kickers Würzburg) and striker Lucas Röser (SG Sonnenhof-Grossaspach). All five featured against MSV. In addition, Noah Awassi and Justin Löwe made the transition to the senior squad from the club's Under-19 side. Marvin Stefaniak (VfL Wolfsburg) stepped up the Bundesliga, while Akaki Gogia (Union Berlin), Giuliano Modica (FC Kaiserslautern), Nils Teixeira (Arminia Bielefeld) and previous loanee Stefan Kutschke (FC Ingolstadt) signed for other second division clubs.

While the Boys in Brown travel to third-division SC Paderborn in the first round of the DFB Cup, Dynamo Dresden were handed a trip to TuS Koblenz. The game will be played at the home ground of FSV Zwickau, however, rather than the Oberwerth Stadium in Koblenz. The move to Zwickau, some 430 kilometres away, was necessary for several reasons. The game cannot take place at the Oberwerth Stadium because the athletics track is being refurbished. Koblenz wanted to switch the tie to Kickers Offenbach but their request was rejected for security reasons, as the cup-tie was categorised as a "high-risk" fixture. With the game finally getting the go-ahead in Zwickau, some 130 kilometres from Dresden, Dynamo will now have more of a home advantage. Strangely enough, Offenbach will host some cup football regardless, as the first-round tie between Kickers Würzburg and Werder Bremen will take place there.

Photo: Witters